Steven and Jennifer Wilson are probably not who imagine owning a traditional hardware shop.
The husband-and-wife team, aged 33 and 34 respectively, opened Bridge of Allan Hardware on Henderson Street in December 2017.
Since then they’ve been bringing new energy to an old-fashioned business that is still much-needed in the modern world.
But customers are still often surprised to find such youthful faces at the helm.
In fact, Steven, whose background is in heating engineering, has been trading in hammers and nails for a decade now.
He bought his first hardware store in his hometown of Linlithgow, West Lothian, when he was just 23 years old.
But simply selling products to people isn’t really what inspires Steven and Jennifer, nor what sets their Bridge of Allan shop apart from big hardware chains like B&Q.
‘Instilling confidence – that’s the big thing’
The couple and their employees are on a mission to make the average person believe in their own DIY abilities, by arming them with the tools and knowledge they need.
“Okay, YouTube is a help, but it’s instilling confidence – that’s the big thing,” Steven explains.
“Come down here and we’ll tell you exactly what to do.
“It’ll cost you three quid because we can sell it loose, and we’ll give you exactly what you need.”
He argues that substandard (or even non-existent) advice and customer care from bigger retailers gives DIY a bad name.
“No wonder you hate DIY – because it didn’t go very well. It went terribly,” he smiles wryly.
“That shelf’s definitely going to fall down because nobody told you that’s not the right fixing, or to do it this way instead.”
On the rare occasion when Bridge of Allan Hardware’s staff can’t supply the solution to a customer’s DIY problem, they’ll be directed elsewhere for the right information.
“It’s all about making sure you get the job done,” shrugs Steven.
“We’re not sales figures-based, we’re loyalty-based.”
A DIY attitude in all aspects of life
Meanwhile Jennifer quit a career in events marketing to project-manage the store’s opening and never left the business.
She credits her husband with teaching her everything she knows about DIY and hardware.
“Steven just worked like a sponge for the first few months,” she says.
The couple, who have a daughter, acknowledge they didn’t necessarily know what they were getting themselves in for when they first opened.
Still, spend even an hour in the busy shop – with customers popping in for heavy-duty staples, a new kettle, a hot water bottle – and you’ll see for yourself how suited they are to the job.
What’s it like to run a business with your spouse?
Some married couples would be horrified by the idea of working with their spouse.
But with two shops, a dog and a little girl to take care of, it’s rare that they spend a shift working alongside each other in Bridge of Allan.
“If you worked with somebody who always agreed with you then nothing’s ever going to change,” he says.
“So, I think it’s a good thing to work with somebody with a different view.”
The couple are optimistic about the future, and keen to open a third and fourth branch in the coming years, though locations are still to be decided.
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