Local hardware store goes independant

RIO RANCHO — Those who have been in Rio Rancho the longest remember a time when Lowe's and Home Depot were irrelevant. 

One of the first hardware stores available to the then 20,000-strong town just getting its feet grounded was Rio Rancho True Value Hardware. The store got its beginnings in 1989 on the north side of Southern Boulevard. In 2000, it moved to its current location on the south side next to Dairy Queen.

Now the family-owned store has made some big changes, especially when it comes to the name, which is now just Rio Rancho Hardware. It was more than just a name change, however.

"We truly appreciate you guys joining us in support of our full independence. We appreciate that Rio Rancho has been here for us since we opened up 1989," owner George Meyerson said at the Dec. 13 grand re-opening.

Meyerson said he was 4 years old when the store opened.

"I grew up in here, had to go away for a while, get a degree, come back work someplace else before I had the opportunity to buy this place," he said.

He and his wife of 11 years Kerian have been learning the ropes of running the store.

"My wife grew up in kitchens doing restaurant stuff. I had to really adapt coming over here and just over the last 11 years that we've been married, and she was even hanging out here before we got married, learning all the different stuff and just moving forward with us, seeing what it was like outside the kitchen, learning that customer service and how that saying of 'the customers are right,' that it takes a little bit further than that," he said. "It's not just that the customer is always right, it's that the customer is the backbone. The customer is the soul of what we do."

He explained that going independent was just another step to becoming what they have always been.

"Dropping the name was very important to us to solidify who we are in this community. It cost us a store to go independent, but that independence meant more to us than flying by some other flag. It was more important for us to be able to fly the flag of Rio Rancho by itself than to try to fly a branded flag," Meyerson said.

While the name has changed, Meyerson says the people are staying the same. 

"What's changing is brand availability. So going independent, it's opened up a lot of wonderful opportunities for us. We were able to bring in brands like Craftsman. We were able to bring in brands like Weber, Blackstone things that the community likes, you know," he said. 

The organization of the store has changed as well. 

"The layout is more for the flow, and making sure that the adjacencies make sense to the Rio Rancho community," he said.

Lastly, Meyerson says people will get the service they want at Rio Rancho Hardware.

"We want to let people know come to us because we're gonna be competitive versus the big box stores, but you're going to get that hometown feel because you're going to get that service," he said.

For more information, visit shop.rioranchohardware.com.