Orchard Supply Hardware opens its first Central Florida store Tuesday, giving customers something of a hybrid between a Lowe’s, Ace Hardware and Hobby Lobby.
Even though the chain is owned by Lowe’s, it’s much more geared towards customers refurbishing a dresser than building a deck.
The store’s focal point is a “Work Bench” area where customers can have knives sharpened, screens repaired, glass cut and other small projects that take special equipment.
It also has standard stuff such as paint, lighting fixtures and tools, but customers won’t find as much stuff geared towards professional builders and contractors.
“We want to give it a neighborhood hardware-store feel,” said Chris Tamaru, the manager of the new store. Tamaru recently relocated from California.
The Orchard Supply Hardware store at the Bayhill Plaza shopping center, on Turkey Lake Road just north of Sand Lake Road, is in a vacant spot formerly occupied by K-Mart.
The store is about 33,000 square feet, with indoor and outdoor sections. It’s much smaller than the stores from Lowe’s, which are almost all more than 100,000 square feet just inside.
But it also takes some cues from competitors, such as section dedicated to bulk nuts, bolts and hardware.
There is a little bit of lumber, but mostly in smaller 2-foot-by-2-foot panels as opposed to full-sized 4-by-8 sheets.
There are also large sections for patio furniture and paint.
The 6,000-square-foot outdoor section focuses on smaller batches of plants, Tamaru said.
The store is planning two more locations in Central Florida, one in Winter Park at the corner of Orange and Orlando Avenues, and another at Orlando Fashion Square Mall.
Opening dates for those stores were not available, said Sarah Dodd, who handles expansion for the company in Florida.
The Bayhill Plaza store has 48 employees.
The store opens at 7 a.m. Tuesday. For those wanting an earlier look, there is an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday.
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One of the signature sections of the new Orchard Supply Hardware store on Turkey Lake Road is the Work Bench, where customers can have knives sharpened, screens repaired and even glass cut.
One of the signature sections of the new Orchard Supply Hardware store on Turkey Lake Road is the Work Bench, where customers can have knives sharpened, screens repaired and even glass cut.
One of the signature sections of the new Orchard Supply Hardware store on Turkey Lake Road is the Work Bench, where customers can have knives sharpened, screens repaired and even glass cut.
One of the signature sections of the new Orchard Supply Hardware store on Turkey Lake Road is the Work Bench, where customers can have knives sharpened, screens repaired and even glass cut.
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