By Jonathan Miller

VALDOSTA, Ga. – The year is 1963; my grandfather has embedded himself into his family’s livelihood, of which his father established in 1908. Media coins this year as “The year everything happened,” marked by the historical Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous, “I Have a Dream” speech, the JFK assassination, and even the start of Beatlemania. Aside from these significant pop culture events, the year also represents a turning point for Miller Hardware Company. It stands as the year our current sales space opened its doors on 211 E Hill Avenue in historic downtown Valdosta, Georgia.

Outfitted with distinguished exterior brick, an executive mezzanine, and over 6,000-square-feet of new sales space, my grandfather’s retail vision came to fruition. Every facet of his project is still used today, inviting customers into the same doors he too walked through thousands of times over.

As with many successful family businesses, we hold our heritage very close to our hearts. The 2019 Downtown Miller Hardware Restoration Project is intended not only to restore our space; but to also re-align our sales presentation to attract a broader profile, specifically the millennial through baby boomer customer.

As with many historical downtowns throughout the country, we too are experiencing a resurgence of retail, real estate, and restaurants – re-investing in what once was the “heart” of the community.

Concerned with the current state of our retail space, I like to think I’m sharing many of the same thoughts my grandfather had 57 years ago.

Enhancements to exterior façade, hybrid merchandising profiles, accessibility improvements, electrical upgrades, interior modifications, technology advances, etc. all made the list.

Retail philosophies, specifically retail hardware best practices, have changed dramatically in the last fifty years – even ten years. Our hope is that the project not only aids a wide array of improvements, but most importantly, greatly bolsters the business’ longevity by increasing the likelihood of carrying forward fifth generation ownership.

Let it be known that any product you found on the shelf before the project is still available today – as one thing is certain, “If you can’t find it at Miller, it’s not in town.”

Jonathan Miller