A decision to delay university by one year turned into a 50 year career for Brighton Home Hardware owner Steve Pare.
Pare is celebrating five decades in the hardware business this year and will receive Home Hardware’s prestigious Golden Hammer Award on July 23. The award recognizes dealers who have spent more than 50 years in the industry.
The Brighton businessman had planned to study marine biology at the University of Guelph after high school. Those plans changed in 1976 when his father, Harvey Pare, purchased the local hardware store and asked his son to help for a year.
That one year never ended.
Pare joined the family business at age 17 and eventually took over ownership with his sister in 1990.
The business has grown alongside Brighton. After operating for years from a narrow downtown storefront, the store relocated to its current Oliphant Street location in 1992 after a temporary move during construction.
Pare said the business traces its roots even further, back to one of Home Hardware’s original dealer stores and to Graham’s Hardware, which served Brighton decades before the Home Hardware banner arrived.
He credits Home Hardware’s dealer owned model and strong local support for helping the business compete with larger retailers over the years.
The milestone also comes after a difficult year for the Pare family. His son Aaron, who had been expected to take over the business, died unexpectedly last year. Pare now hopes two of his nephews will eventually continue the family tradition.
For now, he’s looking forward to accepting the Golden Hammer Award before beginning the transition to the next generation of owners.
(Written by: Branden Rushton)
