Bay's Hardware by Taka Osuga
Deloris Bay, owner of Bay’s Hardware, sits in front of her desk and does book keeping for her hardware store. When it is sunny, Deloris takes care of her garden.
“I just like to stay home,” she says.
Vance Bay, husband of Deloris, used to run the store, but he died about three years ago.
The hardware store was Vance’s baby, Deloris said.
Since he died, she has been trying to keep it going, Deloris said.
But running the store is not easy for Deloris. She has three part-time employees who all knew and worked with Vance for a long time. Deloris said none of them are business people, including herself.
Deloris, 84, is struggling to keep the business alive.
“I would like to stay away from business,” Deloris said.
It seems like she is keeping the store for the sake of community and for long-time customers who come to the store frequently.
Bay’s is very different from many other hardware stores. They have everything, from nuts and bolts, to screws and horse shoes.
“People appreciate the fact that they can find most anything what they want,” Deloris said.
Deloris has four daughters who live outside of Montana. None of them are interested in running the business, Deloris said.
When Vance was alive, he used to take care of the store and Deloris stayed home.
“I seldom go to the store,” Deloris says.
If issues come up, she discusses them with her employees over the phone.
Vance’s primary philosophy in running the business was to make sure that he had things most other hardware stores do not carry.
Deloris is thinking of selling the store.
“If I can’t sell, I might have to close it down,” Deloris says.
“For him (Vance) it was pure joy to run the store,” Deloris says. “For me it’s hard work and a lot of responsibility.”
Shirley Vahl, one of three employees, feels sad about the possibility of the store closing. At the same time, she thinks it does not make sense to keep the store if they cannot make money out of it.
Darrell Cieslinsk, rancher, said he will have to go to Hamilton or Stevensville to get what he needs. Also, he knows that most stores do not carry what Bay’s does.
The Bays were born to be merchants. Edwin Bay, Vance’s father, and Rasmas Bay, Vance’s grandfather, came from Michigan to join a general merchandise store that their relative, Hans Bay, started in Corvallis Montana in 1910.
Other Bays family members used to own a lumber business in Michigan.
Edwin and Vance ran the general merchandise store and the hardware store for a while.
In the early 80’s, Vance and Deloris had to sell the general merchandise store, but they kept the hardware store.
“It got to be too much,” Deloris says.
Deloris said the people who bought the general merchandise store, couldn’t carry the business.
Deloris knows that closing down the store will dissatisfy some customers.
However, Deloris said she is too old to manage the store.
“It’s just not my thing,” Deloris says.