By CASSANDRA STINGER

Intern writer

For nearly 20 years Peabody Hardware and Lumber, under the ownership of Mark and Ginger Whitney, has provided for the community’s needs supplying everything from pipes, to hot water heaters, to paint.

In 1999 the Whitneys purchased the business.

“I always wanted to own my own business,” Mark Whitney said. “The opportunity came up and I was ready for a change in my job.”

Since then, the store has become more than a hardware store. It’s a place where projects of all sizes are encouraged. They offer help with projects including custom woodworking, electrical, and furniture repair, as well as free advice on any project.

The store keeps a regular stock of supplies for most home and garden needs. If an item is not available, they will order it.

Without customers, there is no business. It is essential to encourage customers to want to come to you, he said.

“You have to discern what they want, what they need,” Whitney said.

Incentives such saving as time, money, and energy are also key, he said.

Businesses in small towns often have trouble staying afloat. According to the Small Business Association, 30 percent of new businesses fail within the first year, and only 25 percent make it to 15 years. It is rare for a business to last any longer than that.

“In a small town, you need three things — a hardware store, a grocery store, and a bank. Anything else is optional,” customer Shane Marler said.

Peabody residents have demonstrated their trust in the Whitneys and the hardware store by continuing to shop locally. It is that trust that has made Peabody Hardware and Lumber the go-to source for project and advice.