Kurt Fetterman, owner of 415 PRO Hardware, works with his dad, John, and employee, Rena Kyttle, to clean and organize shelving in preparation of the April opening of the new Back Mountain store on Route 415 in Dallas Township.
Eileen Godin | Times Leader
DALLAS TWP. — New products and services are coming to the Back Mountain when 415 PRO Hardware opens on Route 415 in April.
The retail store is a dream in the works for Dallas native Kurt Fetterman.
On March 1, Fetterman closed on a real estate deal to purchase the former Agway store, also known as Back Mountain Feed and Seed, on Route 415, Memorial Highway, in Dallas Township.
On March 2, Fetterman and his family rolled up their sleeves to clean the nearly 10,000-square-foot retail space.
The goal is to create a one-stop-shop for area residents for home maintenance items, including tools, electrical and plumbing supplies, paint, garden center, pet supplies, sporting goods and much more.
The store will feature unique services, such as a Bonide Plant diagnostics center to help gardeners determine what pests are damaging their plants, Fetterman said. Bonide Products is a complete line of pest control, fertilizers and plant disease treatments.
“We will offer environmentally friendly (plant care) products, as well,” he said.
Fueling his passion for tools, Fetterman will carry a line of power tools geared for the homeowner.
“We will also offer pipe cutting and threading,” he said. “This is not currently available in the Back Mountain.”
The store will have a virtual visualization system provided by Pittsburgh Paint Group, he said. An interactive computer system will give residents an opportunity to see how their room would look with different paint schemes, Fetterman said.
A garden center will feature trees from Bower & Branch, based in the Reading area and a selection of annual and bi-annual plants to keep the spring and summer seasons full of color.
A line of Bass Pro merchandise and other sporting goods plus pet food and related products, including bedding for horse stables, will be sold, he said.
“I can’t stress it enough that I tried to keep things locally made,” he said. “When I say ‘locally made,’ I mean products made in Pennsylvania or the U.S.”
Fetterman plans to employ six full-time and up to five part-time employees.
His family will play a large role in the daily operations of 415 PRO Hardware. His wife, Lisa, children, Lily, 13, and Colin, 12, his parents, John and Cookie Fetterman, and Lisa’s parents, Wayne and Marianne Williams, will be among several faces seen in the store.
“They are a very important part of this,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman had a dream of establishing a hardware store for many years. When the 17,280 square-foot Agway building was listed by Hinerfeld Commercial Real Estate of Scranton in September, he began formulating a plan to make his dream a reality.
“It is hard to say how excited I am to be able to do this (open 415 PRO Hardware),” he said. “It has been quite a learning experience.”
Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.
