Strasser’s Aims for True Value
Steve Williams, John Van Hengel and Leroy Andrews have found their strength in helping people solve hardware-related problems.

By Ellen Jensen

Entrepreneurs: Leroy Andrews, John Van Hengel and Steve Williams
Company Name:   Strasser Hardware
                                910 Southwest Blvd.
                                Kansas City, KS 66103
                                (913) 236-5858
Type of Business: Commercial, industrial, residential hardware
Year Founded: 1917
Number of Employees: 50-60
Keys to Success: “We live and die by our customer service. We like to say that we don’t sell stuff; we provide solutions.”—John Van Hengel

Strasser Hardware, a Kansas City, Kan., landmark, has seen its share of changes throughout its 88-year history, but one constant has been Harold Strasser, who started working in the business when he was 10 years old. Harold, the son of founder A.L. Strasser, is now 98, and until a few weeks ago was still coming into the store about once a week. Harold has witnessed most of Strasser’s changes, many of which had to do with inventory.

"Everybody used to have a garden, and almost everybody had chickens or a pig in the back yard,” Harold said. So Strasser’s sold poultry equipment and incubators to raise baby chicks. They also sold well and pump systems, harnesses for horses, collar pads, fencing and feeding troughs.

“We went from carrying kerosene lamps to gas lamps to electric lights,” Harold said.

When you wander through aisle after aisle packed with every faucet part and power tool imaginable, it’s difficult to imagine the store’s much smaller beginnings. In fact, in the early days, there wasn’t much inventory, so Harold and his father used to tape up old boxes and put them on the shelves to make the store look more full, said John Van Hengel, Harold’s grandson and a partner in the business

The Early Years
A.L. and his cousin, Alfred Strasser, founded Rosedale Plumbing and Electrical in 1917 with 690 square feet at 1002 Southwest Boulevard. The business was a contracting company with several plumbers and electricians. They purchased kegs of nails and screws to mount electrical insulators, but found they were selling a lot to other contractors. So in 1920, they converted the shop to a sales floor and added the Sewall line of paint.

In 1921, A.L. bought out Alfred and discontinued plumbing and electrical to pursue hardware sales. In 1924, he changed the name to Strasser Hardware Co.

Harold graduated from high school in 1926 and became a partner. He and his father enlarged the business to 2,250 square feet by moving into the Masonic lodge building at 914 Southwest Blvd.

Over the years, they continued to expand the business. In 1943, 9-year-old Lou Strasser began working in the store.

In 1949, the business was incorporated as A.L. Strasser Co. Inc. And in 1964, Strasser Hardware joined the True Value cooperative buying group and become known as Strasser True Value Hardware.

The New Guard
Now, although Lou and Harold make appearances, the day-to-day business falls to three long-time employees who have become partners in the store: Leroy Andrews, John Van Hengel and Steve Williams. They share a love of the hardware business and for helping customers solve problems.

Andrews grew up in western Kansas and came to Kansas City to attend an electrical school, working part time at Strasser. After he graduated, he left for a few months, but the hardware pull was too great, and he came back. In 1994, Andrews became general manager in charge of purchasing.

Andrews said one of the challenges for the business has been staying current with technology. That’s where Van Hengel comes in. He handles operations and is information technology manager, which includes phone and computer systems and online sales. He also manages the rental and service departments.

Van Hengel started working in the store when he was about 12 years old. Later, he opened a hardware store in Raytown. He ran that business for seven years before a box store moved in and he closed the business.

Harold suggested Van Hengel come back to work for Strasser Hardware because he had two things Strasser needed: a technical background and experience as a floor manager.

Everybody Pitches In
Although he wears many hats, Van Hengel still spends time on the sales floor. At Strasser Hardware, everybody works with customers.

“You would see Harold and Lou helping customers, as well as Leroy, myself and of course, Steve,” Van Hengel said.

Steve Williams is floor manager and is on the sales floor close to 100 percent of the time. But that’s OK with him.

“It’s selfish, really,” he said. “I get great satisfaction out of helping customers solve problems.”

Although Andrews doesn’t get to spend as much time on the sales floor as he would like, he does close the store one night a week, so he is guaranteed his floor fix then.

“I love the challenge of purchasing, of trying to find what the customer will like, what will and won’t sell,” Andrews said. “And when I’m on the sales floor, I love the challenge of solving somebody’s problem.”

In Search of a Red Shirt
The attitude that Harold and Lou have fostered, and which carries on today, is not “Can we help you?” but “How can we help you?” Van Hengel said. When he trained new hires, Van Hengel told them that it’s important to become involved in the customer’s project. They need to discover the problem by asking the customer open-ended questions, then help them find the right tools and materials to do the job and even offer suggestions and guidance in completing the project.

“It’s kind of like a doctor diagnosing the problem by asking the right questions and obtaining information from the customer,” Van Hengel said.   

To that end, Strasser hires a wide variety of employees, and a lot of them. If you need help, you won’t have to go far to find an employee wearing a distinctive red shirt. They hire young people, but if you take a turn around the store, you notice quickly that there are plenty of older, seasoned employees. Many are retired plumbers or journeymen with life experience.

Variety Is the Spice of Life
Being on the sales floor nearly all the time, Williams has his finger on the pulse of the store.

“I can tell what time of day it is by who is shopping,” he said, adding that men in suits often wander in about mid-day to survey the store after having lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Yet, he still finds it difficult to define Strasser’s customer base. Just as the store stocks a wide variety of items on the shelves, it also attracts a wide variety of customers—“from Tom Watson to a homeless man under the 7th Street bridge,” Williams said.

Williams is in charge of inside and outside sales (Strasser has an approximate 50-50 split between commercial and retail sales). Williams also handles scheduling and charitable donations. The company helps mostly local charities, and because the customer base is so diverse, Williams prefers to give a lesser amount to a greater number of people.

Pleasing Everybody
With such a diverse customer base, it’s difficult to please everybody. The owners recognize that the nature of the business and their large selection of power tools has intimidated some women over the years.

“We were a high testosterone store,” Williams said.

But they have made an effort to make the store more appealing to women through painting, lighting and merchandizing. They have changed the end caps and tried to make the store fresher and newer looking, but they have to walk a fine line, Williams said. They don’t want to go too far and alienate their core male customers.

Now Strasser Hardware is trying to address the Hispanic market. Williams speaks some Spanish and is looking into taking a class to improve his ability. He also has hired some bilingual employees, so there always is somebody in the store who speaks Spanish. Although they don’t have bilingual signs yet, Williams said such a change could be in their future.

“You have to adapt to meet the needs of the customers,” Williams said.

More Than Nuts and Bolts
One way to accomplish that is to carry everything. Strasser comes close, stocking 100,000 items, including nuts and bolts. They are able to carry such a variety of items because they don’t stockpile.

“Rather than depth, we go for breadth,” Van Hangel said.

You won’t find 100 of the same item in the store. That’s what the warehouse is for—one of the benefits of being a member of the True Value cooperative. They can order items as they get low and receive them from the warehouse in a couple of days.

They also have found a way to profit from discontinued and closeout items through eBay sales.

“The idea came out of the blue,” Williams said. “Now, we are making several thousand a month off of Internet sales, and those are different customers, so we’re not exhausting the local customer base.”

In fact, the eBay items have done so well that Andrews even buys some items specifically to sell on ebay.
As much change as the store has seen and continues to face in the future, one element remains the same: The focus on customer service, which is Strasser Hardware’s strength.

“We have to continue to find a way to educate people about the importance of value over price—the value of service, selection and knowledge.” Van Hengel said
 
Ellen Jensen is the managing editor of Kansas City Small Business Monthly magazine.