CARLYLE - Nancy and Gilles Matthewson have been proud owners of Carlyle Home Hardware and recently have handed the reins over to their daughter Katie Gavelin.
The Observer had the opportunity to discuss the transition with mother and daughter at their store located on Railway Avenue East.
The Matthewsons purchased Carlyle Home Hardware in 2005 from Boyd and Betty Cochrane. The store had been situated on Main Street Carlyle for decades. At the time, both Gilles and Nancy operated successful businesses.
Gilles owns and operates G.M. Construction Ltd., and to this day continues to build and renovate residential and commercial properties. Nancy owned and operated New Dimensions Hair Studio after apprenticing under Marsha McLean back in the mid- 1980s.
Said Nancy: “We knew that the Cochranes were ready to retire and we made them an offer. Originally, we purchased Home Hardware thinking that Gilles would manage it and exit the construction industry. Like many things in life, our plans changed.”
Gilles continued with his construction business and in 2009 Nancy sold New Dimensions. A plan was then set in motion to building a new store, and property on Railway Avenue East was purchased. The brand new 12,000-square foot store, which includes 9,000 square feet of retail space, was opened in 2011.
Employed under both the Cochranes and Matthewsons, Leslie Moore worked for Home Hardware for nearly 40 years and retired in December 2015. She was the Matthewson’s store manager from 2005 until the move to the new premises took place.
Said Moore, ”I was proud to be a part of the Home Hardware family all those years. I hired and worked with many fine people and was more than happy to have Boyd, Betty, Gilles and Nancy as my employers.”
Gilles and Nancy have three sons, Tyler, Jesse and Sam, and the one daughter. Katie graduated from Gordon F. Kells High School and then attended university in Regina. She returned home after only a few weeks and resumed working at Home Hardware. Gavelin, now 27, is married to Skyler, and they have two boys, Maverick, three, and Grayson, one.
They built a new residence and have lived on Hayward Drive since 2017. Her husband has been employed as a carpenter with GM Construction for several years.
While Gilles continues to enjoy working and building homes, Nancy decided that it was time to retire and enjoy whatever life brings. After years of being in business including managing Home Hardware, she and her husband have decided to hand ownership over to their daughter.
Said Katie, “I think I am ready to take over managing the store and with the help of my family, I’m confident I will be able to handle the day-to-day operations.”
Carlyle Home Hardware has won numerous awards over the years and was Saskatchewan’s top area store from 2012-2015. It was selected as the Carlyle and Area Chamber of Commerce top business of the year in 2017. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the Carlyle store achieved record sales volume in 2020, and surpassed those numbers in 2021.
Said Nancy, “With the medical restrictions, more and more people are shopping locally. Carlyle has everything to offer and you don’t have to go to the city to find virtually anything else.”
Home Hardware happily contributes to many local charities and causes. Recently they installed new basketball nets at the elementary school, and purchased and planted trees at the golf course, swimming pool and elementary school. Every June in their parking lot, they sponsor a barbeque with all proceeds earmarked for that year’s Gordon F. Kells High School graduating class.
Regarding Nancy, she is extremely active in retirement. Her mother, Grete Smith, lives in Carlyle and Gilles’ parents are alive and well in Redvers. She and Gilles are building their seasonal home at Kenosee Lake and are on leasehold shoreline with an incredible view of the water. Katie’s two boys keep her busy, as do the triplets of Jesse’s; Olivia, Sophia, and Ania, who are now nine.
Nancy also enjoys baking and cooking. She is very athletic, is an avid walker, and enjoys kayaking and paddle boarding. And she recently added another interesting hobby to her many activities. Nancy changes the information sign at the Carlyle Elementary School. Her jokes on the bulletin board are becoming legendary and her granddaughters, students, and teachers alike cannot believe how corny they are.
Concluded Nancy, “Gilles and I are very confident that Katie can run the business and we are always here to help. We have really enjoyed living here in Carlyle and raising our family. We belong to a growing community and are happy to have owned and operated several successful businesses. We are not moving anywhere.”
To commemorate the transition, Home Hardware is holding a customer appreciation day on March 4.
