Next Generation Leadership Future Proofs Family Businesses | Brookelyn McClellan, Hardware Sales Inc

What does it really take to carry a legacy business into its fourth generation without losing what made it special? 

In this Grit Blueprint Podcast conversation, I sit down with Brookelyn McClellan of Hardware Sales, a Bellingham, Washington institution that began selling dynamite to loggers and miners back in 1962 and has grown into a multi-million dollar retailer with its own e-commerce engine. 
Brookelyn was named a 2025 NHPA Young Retailer of the Year Honoree, and she is a textbook example of next-generation family business leadership done right. 

We explore hardware store e-commerce through her company's lean Amazon operation that manages and protects national brands, an entirely separate revenue stream that keeps the business diversified. We unpack her private label brand strategy, how she pressure-tests new products and partners, and why she leans toward high-volume, brand-agnostic items where a store brand can win. 

Brookelyn opens up about social media marketing for retailers, sharing how creative, slightly unconventional content took the brand from zero to thousands of followers fast. She also walks through her approach to community marketing for a local business, from co-branded craft beer and cider releases to collaborations with breweries, gyms, and mountain biking groups that make the store the heartbeat of its town. 

Whether you run an independent hardware store, lead a building-industry company, or are simply ready to modernize a business that has always relied on word of mouth, you will leave with ideas you can use right away. This is a bold, practical, human conversation about getting found, getting trusted, and getting chosen.

What you'll take away today:

Social media marketing for retailers can take a brand from zero to thousands of followers in under a year when you post authentic, out-of-the-box content instead of trying to look like everyone else.

Next-generation family business leadership means carrying the legacy forward while bringing in new ideas, like social and e-commerce, that the generations before you never had the chance to try.

A private label brand strategy can grow your margins and your identity when you focus on the commodity, price-sensitive products you already move in volume.

Hardware store e-commerce, like selling and managing brands on Amazon, can become one of your fastest-growing revenue streams without adding a single brick-and-mortar location.

Community marketing for a local business, from craft beer collabs to local partnerships, turns your store into the heartbeat of the town and earns the kind of loyalty money cannot buy.

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

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🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

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Transcript

Full Transcript

[00:00]  The Weird Ideas Growing This Family Hardware Store

Stefanie Couch  00:00

I love this story so much. It's a store that literally started selling dynamite to miners and loggers in 1962.

Brookelyn McClellan  00:07

It's when people I've learned from start asking me questions. Which is very cool, but it's also very scary at the same time. It's kind of a new sense of responsibility.

Brookelyn McClellan  00:18

It started as a joke. Our managers always joked, “Hardware Sales sells everything, but we don't sell beer.” We have breweries on every corner around our store. They said, “This would be awesome.” And that's kind of how The Hazy Contractor was born. It was a fun, weird passion project.

Brookelyn McClellan  00:33

I don't like to put myself in a box. If I have a weird idea that seems insane, I usually try to figure out how to make it happen. Our customers appreciate the weird stuff. Don't be afraid to think outside the box.

[00:46]  Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast

Stefanie Couch  00:46

Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. I'm your host, Stefanie Couch. This is the spot where leaders talk about the stories, strategies, and systems that win in the building industry. We unpack how leaders and brands build their reputations and become unmistakable.

[01:07]  Four Women Moving the Building Industry Forward

Stefanie Couch  01:07

Thank you for being here today. We're doing an event with a series of four fireside chats with four incredible women who are moving the industry forward, all with different backgrounds and stories. We're going to start today with my first guest, Brookelyn McClellan.

[01:26]  Introducing Brookelyn McClellan of Hardware Sales

Stefanie Couch  01:26

I want to give an intro for each guest to tell you a little about their background. Brookelyn is a fourth-generation leader in her family hardware store, Hardware Sales, in Bellingham, Washington. It's a store that literally started selling dynamite to miners and loggers in 1962. I have to ask, do you still sell dynamite, and can I get some? Because that sounds like a lot of fun. Since then, you've grown this into a multi-million dollar operation spanning six city blocks, and you have a major e-commerce business, which is a very intriguing, totally separate revenue stream. You were named the 2025 NHPA Young Retailer of the Year, and you've grown your social media from zero to thousands of followers in under a year. You have amazing projects in the community, including partnering with craft beer vendors and some wine makers in your local town to white label products, and you're really making this the heartbeat of your community. So welcome, Brookelyn. You won an award last night, so congratulations.

Brookelyn McClellan  02:33

Thank you.

[02:35]  The Customer Service Skill Every Retailer Should Master

Stefanie Couch  02:35

I want to start with a question. You grew up in the hardware store. I did too, and there was a lot going on. What is one thing you now realize was pretty sophisticated, that you didn't think about as a kid, but now you see and go, “Wow, there's a lot that goes into that”?

Brookelyn McClellan  02:54

Something I learned pretty young from my dad and my grandpa was how to talk to people. How to greet customers. Just customer service. It's a very simple concept, but very complex at the same time. I feel like I learned that pretty young.

Stefanie Couch  03:11

That's such a good skill. No matter what you did in life, it would have been a great skill to have, but it definitely helps in the retail hardware business.

[03:20]  Stepping Into Next-Generation Family Business Leadership

Stefanie Couch  03:20

I'm sure you have fun stories about growing up in the store. Was there a moment when you went from, “Oh, hey, I work here,” to, “Oh, I'm responsible for the next generation, and what happens next is at least partially on me”?

Brookelyn McClellan  03:36

That's been a more recent thing for me. It's when people I've learned from start asking me questions. It's very cool, but it's also very scary at the same time. It's a new sense of responsibility. But it's been really cool and very gratifying.

Stefanie Couch  03:57

Do you find that because you're doing something like social media, which isn't traditionally something people in the business know about, they come to you for that and you're kind of the in-house expert?

Brookelyn McClellan  04:07

Yes. They kind of just put up with me and the weird things I ask of them, but they do great.

Stefanie Couch  04:14

Are you also the craft beer expert in-house? I'm sure they love that you're bringing amazing beers into the store.

Brookelyn McClellan  04:19

Yes.

[04:20]  From Selling Dynamite to a Hardware Store Empire

Stefanie Couch  04:20

I want to touch on the dynamite story really quick. Tell me how this got started, because you were selling dynamite to loggers and miners in 1962. Was that really what it was for, supply for those people?

Brookelyn McClellan  04:37

Yeah. The story I've heard my entire life is that our business started by selling dynamite off of picnic tables to the logging industry and the miners. It just grew, as Hardware Sales does. We kept adding on different things. We were actually in the building across the street from the one we're in now. When we moved to our new facility, we changed our name from Powder Sales, which was our original name, to Hardware Sales. And then we got more into the hardware industry.

Stefanie Couch  05:10

I love it. That's really cool. It's always fun when someone sees a problem in the market and decides to be the one who says, “I can solve it.” It sounds like your family did that and is still doing it every single day.

[05:18]  Launching a Private Label Brand at a Trade Show

Stefanie Couch  05:18

We're here at NHS C2C, and your family business has started to bring in a white label line. Tell me about that line, what it is, what you're going to have in it, and how a show like this goes into that.

Brookelyn McClellan  05:37

We actually started this process last year at this show. It gave us the jumpstart into thinking this was something we wanted to do. We have a brand now called AltaMax, which is the Hardware Sales private label brand. We started by ordering in tarps, cones, and delineators. We tested it out to see how it went, and this show really helped us find a lot of products we're interested in. We're planning on expanding our wholesale line.

Stefanie Couch  06:07

That's amazing. You're not only selling in your store, but you have an e-commerce brand, which we'll talk about in a minute. Having those options is a great way to branch out.

[06:18]  How to Decide Which Products to Private Label

Stefanie Couch  06:18

When you're deciding whether to private label or bring something in under another brand, what are you thinking about with a partner? What does the process look like? What matters, and what maybe doesn't?

Brookelyn McClellan  06:30

For us, we're very price sensitive, so we look at where we can save to pass on better pricing to our customers. We also look for things that aren't brand sensitive. That's a big thing. And things that we sell heavy, in bulk.

Stefanie Couch  06:46

So you're thinking about commodity items you sell a ton of, where you could make more margin or build a better brand if it's yours. Do you have people coming in asking for your private label brand yet?

Brookelyn McClellan  06:56

Not yet.

Stefanie Couch  06:57

So you've got to keep working, and I know that'll happen. Cody gave a great talk yesterday on private label, talking about brands like Kirkland and sharing stories from his background. It's really magical when people start asking for your stuff, and Kirkland is a great example.

[07:12]  Co-Branding Craft Beer With a Hardware Store

Stefanie Couch  07:12

I want to talk about the beer, because that was something fun and unique. You co-branded with four different craft beers and two wines in Bellingham. I want to hit on these names because they're so fun: The Hazy Contractor, the Lawn Mower beer. Do you drink that one while on the lawnmower? Is that legal?

Brookelyn McClellan  07:34

That is the idea, actually.

Stefanie Couch  07:37

The Claw Hammered beer, then Max Rips, and you have a Tool Fair beer. You also have a Tool Fair T-shirt. Tell me about this Tool Fair. Is this something that happens at your store?

[07:46]  What Tool Fair Is and Why It Draws a Crowd

Brookelyn McClellan  07:49

Yeah, it's the biggest event we do all year. It's our huge blowout power tool sale. Reps come from all different states and places. We block off a huge portion of our parking lot, everybody comes in, and we do a big two-day event. It's very community friendly, and it's a lot of fun.

[08:06]  How a Beer Collaboration Started as a Joke But Built Real Business

Stefanie Couch  08:06

When you partner with these local breweries and wineries, tell me about your process. What gave you the idea? And I want to know what it was like pitching your family this idea.

Brookelyn McClellan  08:16

It started as a joke. Our managers always joked, “Hardware Sales sells everything, but we don't sell beer.” We have breweries on every corner around our store. One of our managers was talking with the owners of Stemma, the first local brewery we partnered with. They said, “This would be awesome,” and that's how The Hazy Contractor was born. It was a fun, weird passion project.

Stefanie Couch  08:42

That's so cool. Do you have a bestseller? Which one sells the best?

Brookelyn McClellan  08:46

Hands down, The Hazy Contractor.

Stefanie Couch  08:48

The Hazy Contractor. What kind of beer is it? I need details.

Brookelyn McClellan  08:51

It's a hazy IPA.

Stefanie Couch  08:52

A hazy IPA. So if you're in Bellingham and you want to buy some tools and drink some beer, you've got your girl right here.

[09:00]  Community Marketing Ideas for Local Businesses

Stefanie Couch  09:00

You've also done other things, like gym collabs and different mountain biking trails. Community is really important for local businesses, especially a family business like yours where people come in from the community. What's your philosophy there? What are you trying to accomplish, and how do you measure whether a collaboration is successful?

Brookelyn McClellan  09:22

I don't really ever say no to a collaboration. If a local business or a nonprofit reaches out to us, I like to be involved with as much as we can. Usually, if somebody reaches out, or we have a weird idea and want to collaborate with somebody, we just make it happen.

Stefanie Couch  09:40

That's awesome. Any new ones in the works that you can share?

Brookelyn McClellan  09:44

We're coming out with our first cider.

Stefanie Couch  09:47

I love a cider. I don't actually like beer, but I do love cider, so I'll have to come check that out.

[09:50]  Winning NHPA Young Retailer of the Year

Stefanie Couch  09:50

I want to talk about your award. The NHPA is known for helping small and medium independent retailers grow their business, and I'm sure that's been a big part of it. You won an award for social media, the Young Retailer of the Year. Tell me about that. What was it like winning, and what are the most important parts of building yourself as a leader in a business that was your family's?

Brookelyn McClellan  10:26

Winning the award last year was super crazy. When Cody called me, I didn't believe him. It was awesome, and it was kind of a wake-up call. I felt very much like an adult. Building our team has been so fun. Growing up in the business and seeing it from all the different sides is really cool, and getting to be there for our people is just amazing.

[10:55]  Protecting a Family Business Across Generations

Stefanie Couch  10:55

When you think about family businesses, the relationships are there. There's a lot of personal stuff that goes on, and the stakes are high. You've been around since 1962. I hear from a lot of family businesses that they don't want to be the generation that lets it stop. So what's exciting you about the business? Can you tell me more about the e-commerce side of things?

[11:14]  Building a Hardware Store E-Commerce Brand on Amazon

Brookelyn McClellan  11:14

Our e-commerce division is fairly separate from us. It's called Oncata, and they run by very lean philosophies. Essentially, we're a third-party seller on Amazon, and we also do brand management. We're the number one chicken feed seller on Amazon. We manage brands like Starrett, Fine Tool, and Diablo, and we optimize their brands so they sell to the full extent that they can. We also help get sellers that aren't supposed to be selling a product on Amazon taken down.

Stefanie Couch  11:48

So you're really doing two different things. That's a whole different business segment. You found a way to grow without doing it brick-and-mortar, which is great, because that's not always the right answer to expanding the business. I love that you're doing something non-traditional. How are you thinking about the next generation of your businesses? Is that a big focus on how you'll grow?

Brookelyn McClellan  12:11

Our internet division is probably the fastest growing division we have, that and our rental department. We try to stay pretty diversified. We do a lot of weird, different things. It's the Hardware Sales way.

[12:23]  Social Media Advice: Don't Be Afraid to Be Weird

Stefanie Couch  12:23

I love that. I get asked a lot about social media specifically: “I don't know what to do. I don't know what to post.” You grew your brand pretty quickly in a short span of time. What would you tell a person or a brand trying to grow on social media? Where do they start, and what's your advice?

Brookelyn McClellan  12:41

I don't like to put myself in a box. If I have a weird idea that seems insane, I usually try to figure out how to make it happen. Our customers appreciate the weird stuff. So don't be afraid to think outside the box.

Stefanie Couch  12:56

“Be weird” is like a life slogan for me too. It's served me really well. We're all weird in our own way. Everybody has their little quirks, the things that make you you, and if you show that, people love it. So that's great advice.

[13:10]  Why Hardware Sales Still Feels Like a Mom-and-Pop Shop

Stefanie Couch  13:10

What is one thing you want people to know about what you're building at Hardware Sales, and about you, that maybe they wouldn't know?

Brookelyn McClellan  13:18

So many people think we've gotten larger, because we are a pretty big hardware store. But we're still just your mom-and-pop shop. We treat every customer who walks through the door like family, and I hope it will always be that way.

[13:31]  Final Takeaway: Turn Visibility Into Growth

Stefanie Couch  13:31

I love that. Thank you so much for joining me today. You're incredible, and I'm excited for what you're going to do next.

Stefanie Couch  13:38

Thank you for listening to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. If this episode helped you think a little differently about how to show up, share it with someone in your building world who needs it. If you're ready to turn visibility into growth, head to gritblueprint.com to learn more, and book a call to talk to us about your growth strategy. Until next time, stay unmistakable.

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