Hardware store liquidating inventory
Walker’s Do It Best, a locally owned hardware store located at the south end of Ignacio on Goddard, Ave., will be closing their doors for good after 31 years in business. Despite the addition of the car wash, “High Performance Car & Truck Wash” which was added in 2009, the Walkers could not keep the business from losing money — citing economic shifts and regional competition.
“We couldn’t get a buyer for the building once the petroleum (gas and oil field) industry began to slow,” store owner Glen Walker said.
Walker’s has partnered with G. Spalding Consulting for a huge store closing sale, every single item will be liquidated, to include all paint, lawn and garden, tools, fasteners, housewares, as well as all merchandise, store fixtures, furniture and equipment. As stated in an upcoming liquidation advertisement. “This sale is our way of thanking you for your business,” Walker said.
The liquidation sale began Thursday, June 29 by invitation only to local customers and friends of Walker’s prior to opening to the public. Special discounts will be given throughout the next month until everything is sold.
Glen and Barbara Walker along with their son, Chris Walker, will keep the car wash open for business with much needed upgrades, making the car wash more reliable and user-friendly.
The Walkers bought the Wiseman’s hardware store in 1992, located at 772 Goddard Ave., becoming “Walker’s True Value,” heated by an aging woodstove, and lacking space for the growing hardware store, the Walkers then had the current building constructed in 1999, remaining Walker’s True Value for a time, until changing the name to Walker’s Do it Best in 2002.
Barbara, who hails from northeastern Colorado, worked as a teacher for over 40 years, 25 of those years in Ignacio. During that time, she was recognized as Teacher of the Year in (Consumer and Family Studies) Home Economics, in the State of Colorado.
Glen, who came to Colorado from Louisiana, is a veteran, who served in the Army and was stationed in Germany (pre-Vietnam era), before meeting Barbara in the Front Range at a camp for under-privileged youth. The two were married in 1968; the Walkers will celebrate their 55th anniversary in October.
“We both just celebrated our 81st birthdays, Barbara on the 18th and mine on the 25th,” Glen Walker said.
The Walkers plan to stay in the community and become even more active in local events. Already attending events hosted by the Ignacio Community Library and the Ignacio Schools, they plan to “keep going,” Barbara Walker said.
The Walker’s son, Chris, brought the carwash to Ignacio, and has been involved with the hardware store for over 30 years. The Walker’s grandchildren Christopher, Gregory and Alejandra, all have worked in the family owned and operated store throughout the years. Chris Walker’s oldest son, Christopher, recently graduated from Ignacio High School.
Current employees, Gloria Furuga who’s been with the store since the building was built and Vicky Bahrens, who was first employed by Wiseman, then hired by Glen, and Mark Jasken, who’s been employed by the Walker’s since last October, all of whom will be leaving with the closure of Walker’s.
“I plan to continue working in the area, I will also be assisting with the carwash,” Furuga said. “We know every product in the store, assisting customers with their building needs, even if they didn’t know what they needed. I also plan to stay in the community,” Bahrens said.
Glen Walker cited the building of the current building as one of the successes for Walker’s. “… this big building in this small of a town, building this building was a success,” he said.
As far as customers, some who may choose to go into Durango to a bigger chain hardware store, he said, “there’s a big turnover of citizens of Ignacio and the area, I’m seeing younger couples, there’s no sense of attachment to the community.”
“I will miss seeing certain people who are regular customers in the store, like Howard Richards, who I first met [around] 1986,” Walker said.
“We want to be more active in the community – go to more community events. We have always been involved with the library and school events, we want to go to more events that we missed because we were always at the store,” Walker said.