B & W Hardware has had an indelible impact on Wake Forest, from forging strong family ties to offering just what you need in a nostalgic Downtown shop. For three Wake Forest families in particular — the Barnes, Willis and now Kimray families — along with countless satisfied customers, this long-standing hardware store has contributed mightily to the overall look and feel of Downtown. For the past 75 years, its presence and purpose at the heart of South White Street has been especially significant.
Buddy Willis and his father-in-law, Clarence “Hap” Barnes, purchased what would become B & W Hardware from P.D. Weston in 1986. The building at 232 South White Street was originally built in 1945 to house a grocery store. That store operated until 1949, when it relocated, and Weston came along with a better idea — running the essential Weston’s Hardware for the next 37 years before selling it to Barnes and Willis.
In 2008, Joe Kimray met Buddy and Kathy Willis’s daughter, Mary Kathryn, at a mutual friend’s birthday party. Joe had just graduated from N.C. State, while Mary Kathryn was a senior at Peace College.
Kimray grew up in Mt. Holly, where the father of a close friend owned a popular hardware store. During a lunch date the day after they first met, Kimray was happy to hear that Mary Kathryn’s dad was also in the hardware store business. Mary Kathryn later said that seeing how excited Kimray was made her realize he was the one.
“From that moment, Wake Forest felt like home,” Kimray recalled.
Kimray and Mary Kathryn were married in 2010 at Wake Forest Baptist Church and lived in Raleigh. Kimray worked at a Raleigh-based organization called Prevent Blindness NC, while Mary Kathryn worked at WakeMed.
Hap Barnes worked at the store until the mid-1990s and passed away in 2011. In the fall of 2012, soon after completion of the Downtown streetscape, Joe and Mary Kathryn came up to Wake Forest to have dinner with Buddy. Over a beer at White Street Brewing Company, they started talking about the store.
“I was ready for a new challenge, and Buddy wanted to keep the store in the family,” Kimray said. By December 2012, Kimray and Buddy were in business together — continuing the tradition of a son and father-in-law running the store.
Two years later, Kimray and Mary Kathryn moved to the Heritage neighborhood in Wake Forest. Buddy admitted he wasn’t sure how his son-in-law would take to working at the store, but he quickly changed his mind.
“Joe has done really well here,” Buddy said. “He’s taken a real interest, and I give him a lot of credit for all he’s done.”
One of the changes has been something of a “retrovation” — restoring the store to its classic appearance but also stocking it with a wide variety of modern-day products for the community. Today, all kinds of folks come through the door, from “lots of regulars” to new residents, visitors, and those considering relocating To Wake Forest. Many people come in just looking to take in the old-timey feel and fashion of the store — sitting in chairs and swapping stories throughout the day.
A couple of years back, former ABC officer Buzzy Anthony returned to town to promote his book on the glory days busting up moonshine stills. This event attracted dozens of folks who were happy to see him and purchase autographed copies of the book.
Kimray mentioned that visitors have told him it still has that old hardware store smell. “Lots of people say, ‘this is what a hardware store looked like when I was growing up,” he said. The store features nostalgic items like Radio Flyer wagons and sleds, Schwinn bicycles and tricycles, as well as a wide range of lawn and garden equipment, household items and more.
With hundreds to choose from, among B & W’s most popular and best-selling products are Traeger grills, with prices ranging from $799 to $3,799.
“We’re the grilling headquarters for the entire Triangle area,” Kimray says.
Jason Cannon, President of the Wake Forest Business & Industry Partnership, said he’s a big fan of old-timey hardware stores, especially B & W in particular. “Whether I need something or not, I’m compelled to go in whenever I walk by,” he said. “B & W is a part of the heart of our historic Downtown and we are thrilled to celebrate this significant milestone with Joe and Buddy.”
As the oldest retail business and the only family-owned hardware business in town, B & W Hardware celebrated its 75th anniversary in mid-July. The special occasion was marked with a couple Business After Hours gatherings and more-than-the-usual merriment enjoyed by Buddy, Joe, and staff member Trey Coveliski, a rising high school senior, who was hired four years ago.
“We tend to give people their first jobs and last jobs,” Kimray said. “We’re pretty intergenerational here.”
Trey mentioned he likes talking to the older customers and has learned a lot about the business from Buddy and Joe. “I love hearing everyone’s stories.”
Kimray said he’s proud to be part of a business that’s been in the heart of Downtown Wake Forest for so long, rather than working for a corporation of some kind. “This is much more fun,” he said. “Every day is different, and you never know what’s going to happen when you walk in the door. There aren’t many places like this.
“To carry on a family business and be part of a downtown district like this is invaluable to me,” Kimray continued. “It’s like a bridge between the past and the present. We have all the modern products you need, but it always feels like you’re in 1960s Wake Forest.”
