When you think “home improvement store” you might not imagine this:
But this is my favorite picture from a preview tour of the newest Orchard Supply Hardware, opening in Woodland Hills this Saturday.
Since 1931 OSH has provided service to customers who are shopping for home improvement supplies and materials. This new 40,000 square foot location has a Workbench right inside the front door that is meant to help you even more: get things cut, windows and doors re-screened, keys copied, and more. The layout is friendly and the signage is quirky. There’s something lovely to look at wherever you turn.
They even have a special aisle for “What-cha-ma-call-its.” After my own heart.
The personal service extends, of course, to the staff. Everyone I met during the tour has been at the company for years, even for decades. They learn a customer service philosophy called C.A.R.E. that encourages them to not just help the customers but inspire them. A worker even did a little craft demo, inspired by Pinterest (she loves Pinterest) in the paint department.
This is a wooden board painted with chalkboard paint and then festooned with knobs and stickers and outfitted to hang on a wall. Materials for this craft were provided in the gift bag that OSH sent home with the bloggers on the tour. Even though I am not crafty, I felt like painting something after walking through the store.
But my favorite part of the store is the nursery.
There is a certified organic gardener on staff who stopped what she was doing to answer my many questions – why is my cilantro dying? How best to nurture the nasturtiums I planted to attract aphids away from my magic kale? As eye-catching as the beautiful plants are, the nursery’s stars were its staff members.
The store will have its grand opening this Saturday starting at 6:30 AM. Instead of a ribbon-cutting they have a board-cutting with a chainsaw and everything. And the company will make a donation to a local charity in honor of this day. You’re probably working around the house this weekend anyway, so if you need some supplies, I encourage you to check out this beautiful new store!
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