Deb Malewski
Contributing Writer
A full-service hardware store is essential in every small town, and the Bellevue Do It Best Hardware fits the bill. Jacob and Haley Jackson, the new owners of the store, are looking forward to serving all their customers’ hardware needs. The couple just celebrated the grand re-opening of their store on October 1 as the new owners.
Jacob is also the Assistant Chief of the Bellevue Fire Department. He has been a firefighter and an EMT there for 11 years. Mark Jordan, the Bellevue fire chief, was the previous owner of Bellevue Hardware. He and Jacob joked several years ago, with Jacob telling him that if he ever decided to sell the business, he was interested. This fall, that joke became reality. Jacob and Haley purchased the business from Chief Jordan and his wife Julie.
“I’m glad Jacob got to do this as it’s what he really wanted,” said Haley.
“I was very naive, though. There’s a lot more leg work than I expected,” Jacob said. “Dealing with credit card processors, for example, is one thing that has been a challenge.” He previously worked for Kent Oil in Nashville, driving a fuel truck. He has never worked in hardware previously but likes to fix things and tinker and came to the hardware store many times with his grandfather as a young boy.
The customer service work is what Jacob enjoys the most, so far, about owning his own business. Being a small, family-owned business is an asset, he believes. He sees Emmet, his one-and-a-half-year-old son, growing up working in the business, also.
“Our employees have been great. If not for them we wouldn’t be able to do this,” Jacob added. “Plus, Mark and Julie Jordan, the previous owners, have been so helpful.”
Knowing the community so well has helped with the transition between owners. “It’s a stable business and well established in Bellevue,” Jacob emphasized.
“The community supports the store, and the store supports the community,” he said.
They offer a wide variety of products and services, plus offers a lot of knowledgeable customer service. Some of the services offered include rentals, such as U-Haul moving trucks. They also sharpen tools, knives, mower blades, chain saw blades, chisels, axes, scissors, clippers, and much more.
You will find window and screen repair, UPS shipping, keys made, propane filling, hunting, and fishing licenses, glass cutting, and also paint mixing at the hardware.
Their product selection is vast. They carry hardware, of course, but so much more, such as holiday decorations, sporting goods, clothing and apparel, cleaning supplies, plumbing supplies, lawn and garden items, electrical supplies, and more.
Contact Bellevue Do It Best Hardware by phone at (269)763-9141. Their website is Bellevue-harware.doitbest.com. Find them on Facebook at Bellevue-Do-It-Best-Hardware. They are open seven days a week: Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., on Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., and on Sunday from noon until 5 p.m.
