Arne’s Hardware of Kingston has expanded their business into Eden Valley. A grand opening will be held at the new location from Tuesday through Saturday, April 22-26. Throughout the week, Arne’s will give away various door prizes, with an Amana air conditioner as a grand prize. General manager Paul Bunn explained that the opportunity to expand literally knocked on the door. “Arne was approached by a realtor from Litchfield, who asked Arne if he would be interested in expanding to Eden Valley.” Owner Arne Raisanen took advantage of the opportunity. “We have ordered a lot of new merchandise,” said Bunn. “With our new showroom, we have more appliances coming in.” The new store will feature a bigger selection of washers and dryers, furnaces, faucets, refrigerators and other household appliances. The Eden Valley store also offers new services. A new computer-matching paint system, can match any color of paint requested by a customer. The store also has hydraulic hose repair and custom sheet metal. “In January, we want to add a rental system to the store,” said Bunn. “The rental section will feature drills, tools, air compressors, welders, jackhammers, and just about all of your renting needs.” The Eden Valley location is surrounded geographically by many lakes, so these services will be useful to cabin-owners and campers. More important than the technology and merchandise, the expansion allows Arne’s to increase their excellent customer service. Raisanen said that he has learned time and time again that “the customer makes the business.” “We tip our hats off to our customers, that is what has made the company,” he added. To better serve customers, Arne’s makes sure that they have a wide supply of products that are competitively priced. “We often hear that we are cheaper than other hardware stores.” In the new location, Arne’s has already dropped some of the previous prices. Arne’s also makes sure all of their projects are completed correctly. When a project is finished, Arne or a supervisor will walk through the work site. This walk-through ensures that the correct material was used, workers have picked up after themselves, and the customer is happy with the service. Bunn said, “We never rush our workers to get through a job, we pride ourselves on quality.” Because of this, most of Arne’s business comes through word-of-mouth. Raisanen started Arne’s hardware twelve years ago out of his garage in Forest City. He began his business when he realized there was a “need for a heating and plumbing contractor that would do what he said he would do.” This now has become Raisanen’s philosophy. Because of it, he has realized that honesty, dedication and hard work do pay off. “I had no intentions or dreams that this would go to where it is today,” said Raisanen. “It was hard in the beginning, but we are now reaping the benefits.” Services and supplies offered at Arne’s Eden Valley can be purchased at either location, since the business constantly runs trucks between the two stores. Arne’s new location is in downtown Eden Valley. The store hours are 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The new store can be reached at (320) 453-6888. As always, Arne’s offers their 24-hour service line at (800) 594-6888.
