Need a nut or a bolt? Need a tool? You’ll likely find it at Southern Bolt Supply in Estevan.
And you’ll find other things you need there, too.
The long-time Estevan business, locally owned by Bernie Bjorndalen, has a variety of tools and bolts to meet the needs of customers. And it’s not just for those who are involved with industries, such as agriculture and the energy sector.
Customers turn to them for their needs around the house, too.
“We have lots of cordless tools now, which is getting to be really popular,” said Bjorndalen. “A big line there is Milwaukee Cordless Tools”.
Safety supplies, such as hard hats and safety glasses, are also a big part of their product lines.
But their bread and butter remain bolts and fasteners.
Bjorndalen points out Milwaukee always has something new coming out with their cordless tool line, and sometimes their customers will contact them about a product before it is available in Canada.
“There are always new adhesives. There are always concrete adhesives and that sort of thing that are state of the art and a better holding power than the old steel and cement,” said Bjorndalen.
They’re also adding more to their metric line and metric fine thread line and bolt supply, because everything is shifting towards metric.
“We do a lot of walk-in traffic, every day,” said Bjorndalen. “Some individual … who is fixing their car and looking for a weird bolt to put in the brake calibres or something like that.”
Others might be looking for a tool to help them fix something.
“Our walk-in traffic helps keep the lights on,” said Bjorndalen.
Once he purchased the business, he witnessed how Southern Bolt Supply will get the customer looking for a bolt to fix their pots and pans, or the customer assembling a bed or a crib.
“Southern Bolt, through more than 30 years in business, we’ve become known in the community for that,” said Bjorndalen.
The business has been around for 33 years, and Bjorndalen has been the owner for the past three years. He decided to purchase the business due to the diversity of its product lines.
“We deal with a variety of different industries, a variety of different people. We deal with agriculture. We deal with power. We deal with the mines, we deal with oil. You name it, we deal with it. We deal with people fixing their cars or people fixing their decks,” he said.
He gets to deal with a variety of different people, and he is pleased that Southern Bolt Supply has remained a locally-owned business that serves the community.
“We have a good following of customers who are loyal because we’re locally owned,” said Bjorndalen.
Since they’re locally owned and operated, they’re eager to give back to such causes as minor hockey and baseball, auto racing, 4-H clubs and service groups.
“We try to budget some money every year to give back to the community in … different ways, to support fundraising efforts.”
It’s also important to place an emphasis on giving to local causes, to ensure that the money stays local.
They were able to remain open at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when so many other businesses were closed, because Southern Bolt Supply is considered an essential service due to its work with a variety of industries.
Southern Bolt Supply has three full-time employees, including Bjorndalen, and a bookkeeper.
Bjornadlalen is grateful to their customers for their support, and he looks forward to seeing the business continue to meet people’s needs.
