OUR STORY

In the spring of 2001, in our small town of Greene,

Maine, the Albert family was living the life of many;

working, saving for retirement, paying down bills and

having an occasional night out.

 

We are a family of four, parents Mike and Ellen Albert

and our two grown sons, Brady and Matt. Although our

sons had long since moved into their own homes, we

were a close family that still were frequently in contact.

Lately the family conversation revolved around the

empty building of the former hardware store centered in

our town in a prime location on Route 202.

 

What if and what do you think were the beginnings of

those many times when we were just coming around to

the possibility of starting the business up again. We all

agreed the town needed it and we all felt that between

our collective experiences, we could make it work.

 

And so began the endless research, bank meetings and

plans for the future hardware store. It took several

months and meetings but we got it done, opened the

door and put that old building back in business with its

new name of A & A Hardware.

 

That journey started 15 years ago and since that time we

have learned much about running a business in these

turbulent times.

 

One of the unique ways we broadened our customer

base was with the addition of live lobster tanks in our

small addition. That move increased our sales and

earned us the slogan of “Not your ordinary hardware

store”! During the warm months, that involves many

trips to the ocean on a weekly basis to pick up our stock

which sometimes involves live clams as well.

 

Our customer base has expanded well past the borders

of the town of Greene to many of the surrounding towns

as well as the visiting summer people who come back to

see us each year.

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We also contribute to school programs and support

charitable functions when our local families are in need.

It was a good family decision to make and we hope to be

in business for many years to come.