They’ve got plants. They’ve got mulch. They’ve got cans of WD-40. They’ve got paint, and batteries, and tools.

A big-box hardware store? No, the Quitman True Value – which is about to celebrate their 10th anniversary Saturday, March 14 – is a locally-owned franchise that strives to elevate other local businesses.

Store Manager Andrew Gilbreath says that the building itself has been in that location for many years. However, about 10 years ago, current owners Jerry, Jimmy, and Jan Thompson decided to gut the three storefronts at the location and make them into one store – a hardware store where local folks can get just about anything hardware-related they might need, plus a few other goodies.

“Our inventory is approaching 700,000,” said Gilbreath. “No, (we don’t have enough space). That’s what we’re fighting now!”

Having a local emphasis is important to the store, said Gilbreath. That’s why they strive to include and elevate other local businesses: from plants that come from a family farm a few hours away, to candles from Sophie and Rose in downtown Quitman, to rocket stoves from Quitman’s Arc Force Manufacturing, they sell and emphasize what’s important about living in a small-town community.

“We try to get as much American-made as possible,” said Gilbreath. “We try to know most of our contractors that come in.”

Gilbreath went on to explain that locally-owned stores supporting other locally-owned stores is a win-win for the community, as it pumps money back into the community.

“If it’s local… you have the money being spent on, say, the local shops, the local grocery stores, local restaurants, things like that,” said Gilbreath. “If it’s anything corporate… all that profit and everything goes out the door; most of those people don’t even live around there. So money’s not being spent back in the community.”

According to Gilbreath, the employees tend to stick pretty close to the store. Over the course of the store’s 10 years in business, they’ve had less than 70 employees; right now, they have 10 – all of them local.

“I have a fairly low turnover rate; I’m pretty proud of that,” said Gilbreath. “You treat them like they are a person, for one thing. Not just a number, but a person. No one is always going to be right, no one is going to always be wrong.”

The Quitman True Value will be hosting a 10-year anniversary celebration on Saturday, March 14th, starting at 10 a.m. According to Gilbreath, they will be giving out hot dogs, drinks, and prizes. They will also be giving away a natural gas grill to a lucky rewards member who makes any purchase on the day of the event.