Gelzer's Hardware opened its new location at 115 Carlton Road on October 18th, originally located on North Howell Street in downtown Hillsdale. 

Gelzer's Hardware has been located on North Howell Street since 1923. The new location is located on the same square as Dollar General, adding nearly 2,000 square feet of space.

According to manager Drew Gelzer, the additional floor space will allow the store to store an additional 10,000 items, twice the amount offered in the past. Gelzer said that this space allows the store to "intentionally product", which involves the use of displays for each brand and tool type. He said the old site "makes growth difficult." 

Hillsdale resident and Gelzer frequent visitor Ryan Servold said he is excited about the new location and increased inventory.

"I have always liked the random, useful items that can be found in Gelzer's. Now I know I will be able to find more tools and parts that I need."

Francis Lucchetti is a senior at Hillsdale College and works part-time. He said he likes this new store.

"The new store is great," Lucchetti said. "Things are easier to find, and there are all kinds of new tools and equipment."

According to Gelzer, another reason for the relocation was the impracticality of the downtown shops. 

"This street was built as a one-way road in the 1990s, and parking in the city center is difficult enough," Gelzer said. 

Gelzer's does not expect to move again in the short term. Gelzer said the family business was founded "in 1918 or 1920, which was a big debate in the family" and "has been hovering between five locations since then." 

The recent concerns about labor shortages did not disturb Gelzer. He pointed out that the experience of employees and family members is the key to business success.

"On any given day, we may have 150 years of hardware experience in this store," he said. "There may be fewer weekends, but that's the truth." 

Although failures in the logistics supply chain led to longer transit times and product shortages, Gelzer's performed well.

"We are a founding member of Do It Best, a cooperative owned by members of the country's largest local hardware store, which makes us confident that we can get what we need," Gelzer said.

 "We have been able to reserve about 80% of the normal production capacity, which is good considering the current situation." 

Gelzer reiterated that the community was the reason for the success of this store, saying: "This line is always a'local store', but here it is real."