Page 49 - HW March 2021

then as now
West Coasters celebrate 125 not out
Keeping it in the family: (L-R) Casey and Troy and Kevin Scanlon.
IN ANOTHER DEPARTURE from our normal “Then as Now” format, we look into the history of a store celebrating its first century and a quarter serving the small community of Westport, at the mouth of the Buller River.
Few kiwi businesses can say they’ve been around for 125 years. Even fewer have survived earthquakes, cyclones, and severe economic downturns.
Yet the Scanlon family, owners of the Westport Mitre 10 store, are a resilient bunch and are deservedly jubilant to be celebrating the store’s 125th anniversary next month.
Things are little different today compared with 1896, when New Zealand had a tiny population of 700,000.
That’s when George Martin, a true pioneer, opened Martin & Co.
It was the 1930s when the first Scanlon entered the frame: William Scanlon bought Martin’s business, which was to be the start of four generations of this enterprising family running one of Westport’s most beloved and community-orientated stores.
For the next half-century, William, and then his nephews, Jim and Tom, were at the helm, before Tom’s sons, Pat, Michael and Kevin joined the business.
Pat’s wife Janet joined later. It has seen other family members work for periods of time as well.
In 1976, the family made the bold decision to join the young Mitre 10 group which was a fledgling business back then, established only two years prior.
The Westport store immediately benefited from Mitre 10’s large-scale buying and promotional muscle and sales leapt 25% in those first 12 months.
STAYING POSITIVE DURING DIFFICULT TIMES
The next half-century saw the business grow steadily, despite Westport’s changing fortunes as several local employers, including the cement works and mining companies, closed
A gem on the West Coast: Westport’s Mitre 10 store today.
their doors resulting in hundreds of job losses. These were tough
times, but the Scanlons’ forward- thinking, positive, and community-focused spirit remained strong.
Current director,
co-owner and fourth
generation Scanlon,
Troy explains: “Our
family’s philosophy has
always been to offer
excellent service and
choice – just as you’d
expect from any big city store – even though we’re serving a comparatively small region.”
And as any Westport local will tell you, the family’s contribution to the community spreads far wider than running the local home improvement store.
They’re involved and help sponsor numerous projects including sports teams of virtually every code: local cycleways and trails; school playgrounds and garden revamps; as well as the Buller Women’s Health Fund – a local charity that works tirelessly behind the scenes to support women in need.
BUSINESS BATON HANDS OVER ONCE AGAIN
Fast forward to 1 April 2020 – just six scary days into the first COVID-19 nationwide lockdown – when Kevin and his wife Lee sold the business to their son, Troy, and wife Casey.
“At the time, we had no idea what the future held, but went ahead, and are glad we did,” explains Troy.
Kevin remains very much involved in the day-to-day running:
MORE AT www.facebook.com/nzhardwarejournal
MARCH 2021 | NZHJ 47