Our History

Central Hardware Enderby

In 1910, Mr. Andrew Fulton opened up the hardware business in Enderby in the Bell Block. A year later he moved the hardware to his new premises across the street. The building, constructed in 1911, is still the same building used today for selling hardware goods.

The building in 1911 was 50 feet wide by 110 feet long, giving a large floor space for displays and storage. The main showroom was the width of the store, 50 feet by 85 feet deep. The office was situated in the center, at the rear of the showroom.

To help the appearance of Mr. Fulton's stack, a metal pattern was placed on the 14 foot high ceiling. There were no windows on the sides of the building. Inside, one wall was shelved the full length of the building and the other was equipped with rows of tools and implement racks. The large size of the building meant that customers could view a wide variety of goods.

Directly behind the main showroom was a warehouse 25 feet deep with an elevator in the corner. 14 by 7 feet in size, it was large enough to take a wagon up or down. The showroom for wagons was on the second floor.

On the second floor, there was a well equipped tin shop, 40 by 25 feet in size. Along with the tin shop and the showroom for the wagons, there was also a place for storage. Undoubtedly, Mr. Fulton had designed a store plan which was ideal for the handling of bulky articles such as heating goods and heavy machinery.

When Mr. Fulton was asked why such a big store, he replied:

"I believe it will prove the right kind of store for a hardware and implement dealer to build. Even in a small town, I could never see any advantage in having a little storeroom and half a dozen warehouses scattered over the town. This invariably results in confusion and loss of time to both the customers and selling staff. I believe in having one business stand, and having all your goods arranged in the most convenient manner" (The Enderby Press and Walkers Weekly, Oct. 26, 1911).

Shortly after Mr. Fulton established the hardware, he brought in Charlie Openhauser as manager, but he only lasted six months.

Soon Mr. Fulton moved to Kamloops and hired Ernie McMahon as his bookkeeper and clerk to look after the hardware. As years passed, Mr. Fulton bought the Enderby Brickyard. However, he experienced financial losses due not only to his lack of knowledge, but also to the depressed economic situation in Enderby after the Okanagan Sawmill closed.

Mr. Fulton let the hardware building be held by the city for back taxes and later he sold it to Mr. McMahon and Ed Mack in 1925. By 1930, McMahon had bought out Ed Mack.

In 1950, Gordon Hassard purchased the hardware but just a year later he drowned. His wife (now Mrs. Mary Carlson) kept the books up-to-date. With a little help from Mr. McMahon each morning, Mrs. Carlson kept the business running until she sold it to Mr. Farr in 1953.

In 1962, Mr. Farr sold the hardware to Charlie Matejka. He was in partnership with his wife for twelve years, from 1962-74. His employees included Dorothy Ward (part time) and Harry Earl. Charlie said that the Hardware store expanded 600% over the years. In 1974, Charlie sold the store to Dennis Case, who only owned it for 2 years. Then Central Hardware was owned by the late Howard Gillis and Dave Danforth.

Donovan Imbeau, Danielle Heape
ALF School 1989

This page reproduced from The Enderby and District Museum website