Village Home Center has been part of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, since 1983, serving an essential role in this predominantly senior retirement community. I purchased the store in 2013, but my journey into hardware retail was far from ordinary.

At the time, I lived in California, running a business supplying a vast variety of products to the military and government. During a visit to my mom in Arkansas, I met her neighbor, who worked part time at the store, who mentioned the store was for sale. It was the only home center in the area, with the nearest big box store 20 miles away, and without a buyer, it would close—a loss that would greatly impact the community. That struck a chord. Instead of buying a midlife-crisis Porsche for my 50th birthday, I decided to step up and purchase Village Home Center.

At first, I managed the store remotely from California, relying on a general manager. Coming from government and business sales, I knew little about retail, but friends at Do It Best helped me navigate key challenges like shrinkage, inventory, and customer service. By 2019, after settling my affairs in California, moved to Arkansas full-time to take a more active role. Over time, the store became more than a business—it became a way to contribute to a community that values local businesses. Every customer who shops here helps to support their local community knowing our store acts as a hub for the community and with their support is able to contribute to many of the local charities.

When I bought the store, it was using a legacy system designed for lumber operations. I replaced it with Epicor Eagle, widely used in the hardware industry. Yet, over the years, the system’s inefficiencies, infrequent updates, and accounting errors became frustrating. By 2023, I knew we needed a better solution.

At a True Value show in Orlando, I found Rundoo—a modern, web-based platform. What stood out was their sandbox feature, allowing me to test the system with real data before committing. This was the confidence boost I needed to switch.

Since adopting Rundoo, the results have been transformative. Inventory management has improved, accounting processes are accurate, and we’ve saved countless hours on troubleshooting. Their frequent updates and responsive support have made the experience feel less like working with a vendor and more like partnering with a team that cares about our success.

Rundoo has freed us from the frustrations of outdated technology, allowing us to focus on what matters most: serving our community. Thanks to their platform, we’re doing business the modern way—not the old-fashioned way.