The store is clean and modern. At the same time, it stands as a testament to an era when the local hardware store stood as a community fixture.
Borderland Hardware in Mercedes is among only a handful of locally owned, old-fashioned hardware stores left in the Rio Grande Valley. Owners Bob Eilers, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday; his wife of 67 years, Loretta; and son Ken and wife Debbie, are as much community fixtures as the store itself.
“I’m an old country boy,” Bob said. “I enjoy the old-timers coming in, people that you’ve known for 50, 60 years.”
The Mercedes Borderland Hardware opened in 1919 as the first store of what would become a locally owned chain of four hardware stores in the Valley. After 50 years the owners dissolved the company and Bob purchased the Mercedes location.
“I started out as a worker in 1949 when I first came to the Valley,” he said. “I worked my way up from there, became manager and we bought it in 1969.” His son Ken joined the company after he graduated from college in 1977.
The aisles of Borderland Hardware are filled with tools, yard equipment, plumbing fixtures, nuts and bolts, household items and more, just about everything a do-it-yourselfer might need. And if you don’t find what you are looking for, the Eilers can probably get it for you.
“We’ve tried to get more personalized over the years as opposed to the big box boys,” Bob said. “We’ve managed to stay abreast of things. We carry a lot of merchandise that you might call hard-to-get stuff. We do a lot for our customers like ordering something special for them.”
Success also brought the need to expand and the Eilers purchased property just down the street from the original location at Texas and Business 83 and built a new building in 1999 at Ohio and Business 83. They turned to a professional store designer for help to make the hardware store as customer-friendly as possible.
“We went all out with this store,” Bob said. The spacious floor plan is accented with signage that includes large three-dimensional symbols on the walls to identify departments, such as a hammer and circular saw for tools. “It was all designed with customers in mind.”
On any given day Bob and Ken can be found asking customers if they need help and giving advice on the right tool or part needed for a project. They also perform special services like cutting and fitting pipe to order.
A sense of family is evident beyond the Eilers’ personal involvement. “Our employees are like family,” Loretta said. “We try to keep a very close relationship and treat them like family.”
And even an old-fashioned hardware store like Borderland needs to keep up with the times with new product offerings. “We just put in our new paint department,” Loretta said. “It’s quite extensive with a wide coverage of products and a new color-matching system. We’ve always had paint but this is very updated, one of the most modern things in paint.”
Their commitment to the hardware industry has resulted in recognition like Bob’s receiving a “Golden Hammer” award in 1999 for “50 years of dedicated service to the hardware industry.” Ken was elected president of the National Retail Hardware Association in 2009.
“The community has been good to us and we try to be active in the community,” said Bob, who served as a director of the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo for 50 years, been involved with the Mercedes Chamber of Commerce and, along with Loretta, is active with the Lutheran Church.
