Steve Brown and Letha Gonzales of SSS Hardware. Photo by Nathaniel Lopez
On Saturday, May 31, Oracle welcomed another business into their community, with the grand opening of SSS Hardware, or Steves Saws and Stuff. Plenty of the community came out to check out the offerings of the new store.
Performing live music outside was The Arnold Klingenfus Ensemble, with hot dogs being grilled up by David Daily. Tanya Reddish helped sell tickets for the raffle for a brand new chainsaw, with the proceeds going to Oracle Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation; $400 was raised for the organization, and Fernando Gomez was the winner.
Owners Steve Brown and his fiancée Letha Gonzales were busy inside of the store, making sure their new customers were finding what they were looking for. The process of creating the new hardware store started around October, with some bumpy spots, like missing a few shipments of nuts and bolts, to figuring out their store’s software system, but the store’s opening went well.
“I’ve been in the hardware business for about 12 years,” began owner Steve Brown, “I used to manage the hardware store in Catalina.”
After meeting his fiancée, and discussing Steve’s idea of owning his own hardware store, they set out to make it happen.
“When I moved up here, I started realizing that there’s no hardware store here, I needed something for doing projects at the house and I had to run [into Tucson]. So I was like yes, we can make this happen. We’re starting out small. We’re going to try and provide as much hardware for everybody we can. We’re not a hundred percent there yet, but if there’s something you see or don’t see, please let us know, we’ll think of bringing it in and taking care of everybody,” concluded Brown.
Be sure to come and check out SSS Hardware, Oracle’s newest business! Located at 620 E. American Ave. in Oracle.
Inside SSS Hardware you can find hardware, nicknacks, Stihl products, and an art wall featuring area artists. Photo by Bob Alberti (albatross.org)