By Christopher Holland • The Current Contributing Writer
A.F. Boyer Hardware & Guns in Slatington has been a beacon of business in Carbon County for generations, and it continues as another generation takes the helm.
Established in 1868, the Boyer family has now surpassed its sesquicentennial milestone reaching 153 years in business, and counting.
New owner Abel F. Boyer (27), an East Stroudsburg University graduate with a degree in business, recently took over the business. He took part in an exclusive Q&A with The Current to talk about the family operated business and what his plans are moving forward.
The Current: What is the full name of the store, and who are the owners?
Abel F. Boyer: A.F. Boyer Hardware & Guns and I (Abel) am the 5th generation owner as of 2021. It’s been in the same family since it was established in 1868; 153 years and counting.
The Current: What are the main services provided by the store?
Abel F. Boyer: We have a large assortment of tools, nuts and bolts, electrical and plumbing supplies. We cut keys, glass and plexiglass; rescreen window screens; cut and thread iron pipe; sharpen lawn mower blades, chainsaw chains and knives. We provide services for hunting and fishing licenses along with launch permits. We also carry an assortment of fishing supplies and live bait. Among other things we carry are wicker wash baskets, crocks for sauerkraut, and an assortment of other household items.
We have a very large firearms department with pistols, rifles, shotguns, ammunition, optics and accessories. We also mount and bore sight rifles.
The Current: What made you get into the business/industry and how long have you been doing it? Did you have prior experience before branching out on your own? If so, in what positions and where?
Abel F. Boyer: I’ve been in the store since I could remember. I grew up in the business and was at the store everyday. I always knew that I wanted to take over the family business
The Current: What did you do leading up to taking over your store? Do you have a business degree?
Abel F. Boyer: I earned my business degree from East Stroudsburg University to gain knowledge to aid in expanding the store one day.
The Current: Where does most of your clientele come from?
Abel F. Boyer: All over! We have customers that travel five minutes to five hours to come to our store! Most of our customers are within an hour, though.
The Current: Where are the sources from where your products come from? Are they locally sourced?
Abel F. Boyer: We order from distribution companies along with some local businesses like where we get our wicker baskets, brooms, crocks, bait and firearm accessories.
The Current: How many employees do you have? Do you expect to bring more people on staff in the future?
Abel F. Boyer: We have 10 employees and four family members working in our store. We have been trying to bring on at least two more employees for about six months now but it is hard to find people during these times.
The Current: What are the business hours? How would you describe the atmosphere at the business?
Abel F. Boyer: We are open six days a week: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Wednesday 8 a.m.-noon, Friday 8 a.m.-8 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m., closed on Sundays. As a family owned business, we have always closed early on a Wednesday and on Sundays so that we can get things done around the house, run errands and have family time.
The atmosphere is very fast-paced, but most of our customers that you ask will say that they feel at home when they’re in our store.
The Current: What’s the most exciting element of owning your business?
Abel F. Boyer: Being able to help the customers find the products that they’re looking for or help them solve plumbing or electrical issues, fix things around their home and meeting new customers everyday.
The Current: Is there anything specific that you’d like to mention about your business?
Abel F. Boyer: We are the oldest hardware and firearms store in the USA that’s been in the same family. We are the largest firearms dealer in the Lehigh Valley with the largest selection and if we don’t have it, we’ll get it!
The Current: What does the future look like for your business? Do you have any special events coming up?
Abel F. Boyer: Our goal is to continue to grow our business! We are always looking to add new inventory, employees and products to our store. We try to have at least one large event a year that we have factory reps on site, giveaways, free refreshments and sales. This year, we hosted our “Gen 5 Sales Event,” the last weekend of August. The event featured Glock and Hornady where we had sales on firearms and ammo, giveaways and a raffle in which all of the proceeds went to the local police department.
The Current: What initiatives do you implement to market your business and attract customers?
Abel F. Boyer: Facebook! Social media has been a great avenue for us to reach a lot of customers. We have been advertising with The Current, of course, along with some radio ads. We donate a lot to local organizations and work with a lot of conservation committees to help raise money for different organizations. We keep our prices low to take care of our customers.
Add Comment