Full Story Untold In Bayers Hardware Closing: Letter to the Editor

Ed. Note - The following is a letter to the editor we recieved from reader Linda Collins on Aug. 8, 2012. Letters to the editor may be sent to James.Sanna@Patch.com, and may also be posted using Patch's blogging platform. All blog posts are automatically approved and retroactively edited to ensure compliance with Patch's Terms of Use.

After reading several articles in various news publications of in Linden Hills, I want to present another side of the story. Certainly the closing of a family business is a difficult life event. As with all kinds of major loss, the grief process follows a predictable pattern. Anger and blaming others is part of that pattern. Blaming the competition for business failure may be part of the grief process. It doesn’t tell the entire story.

For years many residents of Linden Hills have been going to for their hardware needs. With the , now these residents can shop in their own neighborhood. In addition to good product selection people are looking for friendly, courteous service, knowledgeable, helpful staff, and a cheerful “we can do that for you” attitude. Customer service is the key here. The Settegren people have demonstrated this in many ways, including the gracious manner in which they talk about the difficult situation with their neighbor, Bayers Hardware.

I was in Settegrens hardware store recently, looking for an organic, non-toxic kitchen cleaner. I was directed to a product line they carried, told about the manufacturing process, and given a sample to try in my home. In addition, I was asked about what other products they could carry that would be useful to me.

I am a longtime Linden Hills resident. The neighborhood has changed over the years and the neighborhood retail hub has changed to meet the needs of the neighborhood. The businesses that thrive seem to be the ones with outstanding customer focus; the businesses that anticipate the needs of a changing community and provide services to meet those needs. 

Linda Collins