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Hardware stalwart Scotty's closing two stores

The longtime Florida company, which filed for bankruptcy in September, is selling out its inventory after about 30 years.

By JENNIFER LIBERTO
Published February 1, 2005

The death of a longtime Florida business could be seen the last few Saturdays on neon yellow close-out signs waved on busy intersections throughout the county.

Scotty's Inc., a bastion of home improvement and furnishing supplies for local homeowners for some 30 years, plans to close its two stores in the county in March. The chain declared bankruptcy.

The company's Hernando County stores include an older Brooksville store, on U.S. 98, and a newer Spring Hill Drive store in Spring Hill Plaza.

The 81-year-old company, headquartered in Winter Haven, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September. A bankruptcy official and several store employees confirmed the company is liquidating its inventory and closing Florida stores.

Scotty's employs 470 people companywide at 40 stores in Florida and Georgia. It's not clear how many are employed in Hernando County. Local managers said they had been ordered not to talk about the closing.

Increased competition, poor sales and losses during last year's hurricanes were reasons cited for Scotty's bankruptcy, according to records.

Scotty's debuted in Hernando County with its Brooksville store in the 1970s, say longtime Brooksville business owners.

"They were good competition, and I always hate to see any business have problems," said Joe Weeks, owner of 89-year-old Weeks Hardware. Over the years, Weeks has steered customers to Scotty's if he didn't carry what the customer was looking for.

Yet, news that Scotty's is closing was expected, some business leaders say. The company had struggled in Hernando County and throughout Florida over the years as big-box stores such as Lowe's and Home Depot elbowed their way into the county.

In fact, the Brooksville Scotty's store was briefly up for sale in July 2003, until its owners backed out of an offer, said real estate broker Gary Schraut.

In 1999, Scotty's closed an 11-year-old store on U.S. 19 a few years after a Home Depot sprouted down the road. Lowe's has since opened a store on that busy highway. Staples moved into the old Scotty's store. Another Lowe's store is planned for Brooksville only 2 miles south of Scotty's on U.S. 41.

Other local hardware store owners say they aren't too concerned about big-box competition that led to Scotty's demise.

"Not everybody can be all things to all people, and we cater to our customers with service and get customer loyalty," said Scott Pickett, owner of Pickett's Western Auto True Value.

Justin Crowder of Crowder Express Hardware said his company stays busy, because he buys through a national purchasing group. The group, with its large buying power, makes it easier for the 50-year-old family-owned business to offer more competitive prices.

Scotty's stores in Hernando County have been busy during the past few weekends with bargain hunters looking to take advantage of items marked down by as much as 60 percent. The first major weekend of Scotty's going-out-of-business sale was frenzied, with often mean-spirited customers fighting over merchandise or upset with store employees about not being able find what they were looking for.

Stores were quieter Monday. Several customers, such as painting contractor Larry Courter of Courter Enterprises Inc., expressed anger and sadness at the loss of the Florida chain.

"I hate it," said Courter as he entered the Spring Hill store. "Now I'm going to have to drive to Home Depot. What a bummer."

Jennifer Liberto can be reached at 352 848-1434 or liberto@sptimes.com

--Times researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report.

[Last modified February 1, 2005, 00:54:18]