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Knob Hardware & Tool Store in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, says its plumbing department contributes about 10% to 12% of total revenue, despite being established only a few years ago. Owner Sanu Silwal credits product range, organized displays and staff who help customers identify the right solution; the source report does not provide audited sales figures or a detailed growth timeline.
Knob Hardware & Tool Store in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, says its plumbing department accounts for about 10% to 12% of total store revenue, a notable contribution for a category the retailer developed within a business founded in 2023. In a report by Hardware Retailing, owner Sanu Silwal described a strategy built around carrying standard and specialty parts and training general sales staff to understand customers’ repair problems before recommending products.
Silwal told Hardware Retailing that the store’s goal is to ease customers’ concerns by combining knowledgeable service with a wide range of plumbing products, including hard-to-find items. The department carries faucets, pumps, drain and waste products, pipes, valves, fittings, supply lines and hoses, as well as sewage pumps, water-leak monitoring products and specialty repair parts.
The retailer does not have a dedicated plumbing team. Instead, general sales employees assist across departments, with more experienced staff helping on complicated questions or projects. Silwal said employees receive training in basic product categories, applications, sizing, fittings, connections and common repairs. The stated approach is to understand the customer’s project before suggesting a product.
Displays are arranged by product type and customer need. The report says larger boxed items are stocked on shelves, while smaller fittings, connectors and repair parts are placed on peg hooks or in organized bins. Silwal distinguishes routine, high-volume products from specialty items, which staff sell by matching specifications such as size, capacity and connection to the customer’s intended use.
Service Turns Plumbing Into Sales
The profile offers a practical example of how an independent retailer can make a technical category useful to both do-it-yourself customers and contractors. For homeowners, assistance identifying a part or connection can help resolve uncertainty before a repair. For professionals, clear labeling and stocked, easy-to-find products can reduce time spent sourcing supplies.
The customer need is supported by a survey cited in the report, conducted by SupplyHouse among 1,001 U.S. homeowners. It found that 93% delay plumbing or HVAC repairs at least sometimes; 13% said they waited six months or more to address their most recent issue, and 8% said they did not address it. Among respondents who faced plumbing problems, 71% tried a DIY fix before calling a professional, while 51% of those attempts did not resolve the issue or made it worse. These figures describe the survey respondents and do not establish that store guidance would prevent failed repairs.
For retailers, the reported revenue share also shows why plumbing may warrant attention beyond shelf space. Staff knowledge, product availability and useful organization are part of the offer, particularly when shoppers arrive with an urgent problem and need help finding a suitable part.
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A New Store With Broad Departments
Knob Hardware was founded in 2023 and sells products across several categories, including hunting and fishing, plumbing and electrical. Its services include U-Haul rentals and screen repair, according to the report. The plumbing operation is therefore one department within a broad independent hardware business, rather than a standalone plumbing specialist.
The report also says DIY customers often need help determining the correct size, connection or replacement part and may compare products and prices more closely than professional customers. Contractors and other professionals shop there as well, creating different service needs within the same department. Silwal said staff adapt recommendations to the customer and the problem rather than relying on a single sales approach.
SupplyHouse’s survey found that minor leaks and clogged drains were the plumbing problems respondents put off the longest. It also reported differences by generation in how quickly people addressed their most recent issue: 45% of baby boomers said they acted immediately, compared with 34% of Gen X, 35% of millennials and 31% of Gen Z. The source provides these as survey findings, not as an explanation for why the groups differed.
“We train our staff on the basic plumbing product categories, including product applications, sizing, fittings, connections and common repair situations.”
— Sanu Silwal, owner of Knob Hardware & Tool Store, as quoted by Hardware Retailing
Sales Figures and Growth Details
The 10% to 12% revenue share is attributed to Silwal in the trade publication’s report. The source does not provide audited financial records, the period used to calculate that share, the department’s sales before reaching that level, or a year-by-year growth rate. It also does not break out revenue by product type or customer group.
The SupplyHouse survey findings are reported as survey results, but the provided material does not specify when the survey was conducted, how respondents were recruited, or its margin of error. The figures should not be treated as a forecast of customer behavior at Knob Hardware or proof that any one retail practice caused the department’s reported revenue contribution.
Education Is a Possible Next Step
The report points to customer education as a way hardware retailers could support plumbing shoppers, but it does not say that Knob Hardware has adopted the suggested measures. Those ideas include online videos demonstrating basic fixes, in-store demonstrations and grouped emergency-repair kits. QR codes beside products could link shoppers to instructional material, according to the article.
Whether Knob Hardware plans to add those programs, expand its plumbing selection or report updated sales figures is not stated. For now, the published account describes the department’s reported revenue share and the service and merchandising practices Silwal says are in use.
Key Questions
How much of Knob Hardware’s revenue comes from plumbing?
Owner Sanu Silwal told Hardware Retailing that plumbing brings in about 10% to 12% of total store revenue. The report does not provide audited figures or specify the measurement period.
Where is Knob Hardware located?
Knob Hardware & Tool Store is in Connelly Springs, North Carolina. The report says the business was founded in 2023.
Does the store have dedicated plumbing staff?
No dedicated plumbing team is described. Silwal said general sales staff assist across the plumbing department, with more experienced employees helping with complicated questions and projects.
What plumbing products does the store carry?
The reported assortment includes faucets, pumps, pipes, valves, fittings, drain products, supply lines and specialty items such as sewage pumps, leak-monitoring products and repair parts.
What education ideas does the report suggest?
The article suggests online how-to videos, in-store demonstrations and bundled emergency-repair kits, potentially paired with QR codes linking to instructions. It does not say these programs are currently in place at Knob Hardware.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
