Photo by Erin Nelson.
Dan Moran, owner of Rocky Ridge Hardware, stands in the shop. Moran is celebrating 10 years of ownership of the business.
Dan Moran says his favorite part of Rocky Ridge Hardware for the past 10 years has been the people walking up and down its aisles.
Some of those have been the seasoned employees who taught him the ropes. Others have been customers who came into the store to chat. And still more have been Moran’s own family, who have become part of the fabric of the business.
“The people who worked there before I came, working hand-in-hand with them was the greatest pleasure and the greatest blessing,” he said. “My son was raised in that store with the old store manager. It’s made my kids know how to get in there and work hard.”
Getting to spend more time with family was the whole reason Moran bought the store from its retiring owners in 2013. Before that, he had owned rental property near the beach in Baldwin County, but he had taken a financial hit when the BP oil spill happened in 2010.
“When the spill came in and decimated that economy, I just threw in the towel and sold that property,” he said.
He’d been married to his wife, Ashley, for about five years at that point, and their kids were in elementary school, so it felt like a good time for a shift anyway.
“I was looking to invest it in something, and the hardware store was super convenient and had a great staff already and a great customer base,” Moran said. “It also was a great way to be close to the family as much as possible while I’m working.”
He said in the past decade, it’s been a joy to serve the people of Vestavia.
“We’re always trying to help somebody solve something,” he said. “We’re there to help with anything, like fixing a chair when you’ve got company coming over in 20 minutes.”
They’re also there for the people who want to try to fix things themselves instead of getting a whole new roof or an expensive basement repair, he said. “We’ll get it sorted out. We’ll fix it or get you pointed in the right direction.”
The past 10 years have been good, but they haven’t always been easy, Moran said. When the Western supermarket moved out and Publix moved in, Rocky Ridge Hardware went about 10 months without that anchor store there to pull in foot traffic.
“Those were the sleepless nights,” Moran said.
They also faced staffing issues as the seasoned employees who had stayed with the store slowly retired.
But without hesitation, Moran said he’s enjoyed being a part of the community in this capacity.
“On any given day, a guy who was a handyman for years, but is having health issues and can’t work right now, might come in and talk for an hour and a half. We love that,” Moran said.
He said he also loves it when new area residents come in for help and the store staff has the opportunity to show them some above-and-beyond customer service.
“Once they come in and see that service we provide, they tend to come back,” Moran said. “It’s part of what we do; we’re here to serve the community.”
Rocky Ridge Hardware is located at 3348 Morgan Drive and is open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays.
For more information, visit rockyridgehardware.com or follow them on Instagram @rockyridgehardware or Facebook @RRhardware.
