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stouffvilles don doner tribune february 10 1988 c15 hardware is his lifes work by bruce staplev hes a selfeffacing man long on total commitment and short on worldly pride born 59 years ago on a farm near gormley don doner has spent the greater part of his life in a hardware store and although hes never hung out his shingle he tackles the job with all the zeal and dedication of a successful en trepreneur don has served as manager of cards hardware main street west stouffville for the past 20 years previous to that he had 23 years experience in the same line of work dons a firm believer in old- time business ethics also in the personal touch he claims work can be fun ive shared company with some terrific people through the years he says ive also met some fine folk right here in stouff ville dons hardware career began in 1945 when he joined the staff of jk agnew mr agnews store was located on the north side of main street i began at 15 a week don recalls he promised to increase my salary to 20 if i proved satis- factory the store was later purchased in 1955 by reg stouffer and don remained there until 1966 when the business changed hands again thats when don moved up the street to work for cec hendricks in 1968 hendricks hardware was purchased by graydon card longtime em stouffvilles don doner has spent many years helping customers at cards hardware store in town he feels that personal service is the key to success jim thomas the atkins action commute encourages you to attend the founding meeting of the progressive conservative association at markham district high school 89 church st markham north of hwy 7 east of hwy 48 thursday february 11 1988 730 pm a unique opportunity to influence the constitution and executive leadership of the new association bring proof of residency and bring your family and friends those over 14 years of age may vote it was don who later helped graydon open at his new location the flagship store of cards plaza in stouffvilles west end i thought of leaving the hard ware business in 1966 don re members i checked out a fac tory job but in minutes i knew it wasnt for me a respected expert in his trade don remembers when all stouff ville stores remained open until 10 pm tuesday and saturday nights on wednesday after noons almost everyone closed at one gasoline was sold from a pump in front of the store and kerosene linseed oil and machine oil were all dispensed from an oil room in the basement don recalls how one customer would always bring in a long- necked bottle he wanted filled with machine oil the contents would spill all over the place finally jk agnew said norm if you ever bring that bot tle in here again ill break it over your head he never did in his early years don did more than just wait on customers there were always trades people on staff to do furnace work plumbing and other things re calls don i remember being sent out with a tinsmith to fix the roof of the wideman mennonite church the week before i was to be mar ried looking down the ladder i was so scared i was sure id never see my wedding day don notes with more than a lit tle sadness that the once small town hardware store is being re placed by onestop shopping cen tres that boast everything for the home the modern hardware today is more like a department store he notes don says he still feels good when salesmen say how much they enjoy coming into a country store as opposed to the big city edifice while times have changed dons personal approach to the business reflects deeply rooted traditional values service the personal touch has always been a vital part of my job he claims ive always tried to act as though the business is my own i try to treat people as i myself would want to be treated don credits his wife marion a career housewife with being totally supportive and under standing through the years shes been terrific he says don and marion reside on bak er avenue stouffville in a house don helped build in 1960 the house was roughed in he explains i finished it don and marion have a son barry a daughter sharon and a grandson he describes as the light of my life has don adjusted to the fast lane approach to hardware com- plete with appliances wood stoves garden centres and every thing else cards has to offer you must adapt don replies the most important things today are good products fair prices and personal service don claims cards affiliation with home hardware is a plus they give us an excellent selec tion and good prices the rest is up to us don admits the older he gets the longer the work day seems hes 59 any thought of retiring i have a few hobbies don says pointing to an expertly crafted grandfathers clock in one corner of the living room im looking forward to the day ill be able to spend more time with my family however for now its business as usual for the man with the old- fashioned approach to work and to life im really pretty boring he responds with a smile why would anyone want to do a story about me if being boring correctly de scribes don doner family friends and appreciative patrons hope he never changes borne is where the heart is february 1 0th1 3th come home to woodside square and enjoy our wide array of home improvement ideas in conjunction with valentines day woodside square will be holding a contest with a draw for a romantic home catered dinner for two draw will be made saturday february 13th pick up your ballots from the info booth soon dont forget valentines day sunday february 14th woodside square finch ave e at mccowan rd in the february 3rd issue of the economist sun the dates of the home is where the heart is promotion were wrong the correct dates are feb 1013 we apologize for any inconvenience