Gloversville True Value grand opening celebration will begin at 9 a.m. and will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony, prize giveaways, a cookout with live DJ from Bug Country radio station, a carwash, and a spin the wheel game offering various discounts on the store’s thousands of products.
“We have spin the wheel to get discounts off of items in the store, we have Bug Country coming with a DJ and they’re going to be giving away concert tickets for SPAC,” said Matt Capano, co-owner of the Gloversville True Value along with his wife, Tammy.
“We’re also going to serve a little food — hot dogs, hamburgers, beverages, popcorn. And there will be a free carwash out in the back parking lot so you can come and get your car done and then come in and shop,” added Tammy. “We’re hoping for a good turn out.”
The Bleecker Street True Value, located in the heart of the city, opened its doors earlier this year, filling the city’s need for a hardware store, following the closure of the previous True Value on East Fulton Street in 2017. The store, which conveniently features dual entrances, one on either side of the building, has 10,000 sq. ft. of space chock full with more than 17,000 hardware items, the Capanos said Wednesday.
“We have a state of the art paint department, we have all the general hardware store items, we carry dog and cat food, beekeeping supplies, and we do key cutting,” said Matt.
“Also, the community has a need for more electrical supplies, so we try to stockpile a little bit more electrical,” Tammy said. “And we actually want to grow further. We want to stock our store a little more heavily. We wanted to also save a little room and get the feel for the community for what their requests are and what their needs are. True Value has 80,000 products to choose from. We stock about 17,000 of them right now and we have a little room to grow. But, again, you want feedback from people, to see what they want to see in here. ”
The Capanos have been a staple of the neighborhood for the past 20 years, running the New York Lunch Diner, located next door to their Gloversville True Value, before deciding to open the hardware store in 2017.
“I used to work [at New York Lunch] when I was a kid. When I was 16, I started out washing dishes and then I went on to be a short order cook, and from there, I worked there for about five years,” said Matt. “So when it was for sale, my wife and I decided we were going to buy it and run it as the diner — keep it going. Twenty years later, here we are.”
“New York Lunch was established in 1934. So it’s one of the older businesses in Gloversville and I feel like it’s an icon here. It’s been around a long time,” Tammy said.
Now with the addition of a hardware store next to the classic diner, the Capanos are doing their part to reinvigorate the downtown.
“The community reaction has been terrific. Everybody’s ecstatic. That’s one thing we’ve heard over and over on a daily basis — how happy people are that there’s a hardware store in downtown Gloversville again,” Tammy said.
The Gloversville True Value currently employs “roughly 20 full- and part-time and employees,” including the Capano’s son-in-law, Pete Havens, who is the store manager.
Both Tammy and Matt believe the store’s location in downtown is advantageous to the community, offering convenience to all parts of the city.
“I feel there’s an advantage to being right here,” Tammy said. “The church across the street from us is the dead center of Gloversville. So it brings the community from all the way around us. And a hardware store is something where you want convenience, you want to be able to run in, grab what you need, and leave. I feel like having it being centrally located right here is perfect.”
Gloversville True Value’s ribbon-cutting and grand-opening ceremony is set for June 29 beginning at 9 a.m. For more information, call (518) 773-2525.
