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Knob Hardware & Tool Store in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, has developed a plumbing department that owner Sanu Silwal says accounts for about 10% to 12% of store revenue. The retailer’s approach combines a broad range of products with staff trained to understand customers’ repair needs; the source report does not provide sales figures over time or independently verify the revenue share.
Knob Hardware & Tool Store in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, has built a plumbing department that owner Sanu Silwal says generates about 10% to 12% of total store revenue, according to a report by Hardware Retailing. The account describes how the store combines plumbing inventory with staff guidance for homeowners and trade customers, offering a retail case study in a category where shoppers may need help identifying parts for urgent repairs.
Founded in 2023, Knob Hardware sells products across departments including hunting and fishing, plumbing and electrical, and offers services such as U-Haul rentals and screen repair. Silwal told Hardware Retailing that plumbing is a relatively young but meaningful category for the store. The report does not include a time series or audited figures to show how the department’s sales have changed.
The department carries faucets, sump and utility pumps, drain and waste products, pipes, fittings, valves, supply lines and hoses. It also stocks specialty items such as sewage pumps, water-leak monitoring products and repair fittings. The store organizes larger boxed products on shelves and displays smaller parts in bins and on peg hooks, according to Silwal.
Rather than assigning the department to a dedicated plumbing specialist, the store uses general sales staff, with more experienced employees helping on complicated questions. Silwal said staff training covers basic product categories, applications, sizing, fittings, connections and common repairs. The report says employees are encouraged to understand the customer’s project before recommending an item.
Service Turns Parts Into Solutions
The example highlights how advice and product availability can work together in a hardware category where customers may not know the name, size or connection type of the part they need. For DIY customers, a conversation about the repair can help narrow down options; for contractors, accessible stock and clear organization can make routine purchasing faster. These are the retailer’s operating approach and rationale, not independently measured outcomes.
The report also points to a potential role for plumbing education in repeat business. It recommends that retailers offer online demonstrations for common problems, hold in-store demonstrations and group supplies into emergency repair kits. Those are suggestions in the article, not services it says Knob Hardware currently provides.
SupplyHouse’s survey offers a measure of the customer challenge behind the category. Among 1,001 U.S. homeowners surveyed, 93% said they delay plumbing or HVAC repairs at least sometimes. The survey also found that 71% of homeowners facing plumbing problems tried a DIY fix before calling a professional, and 51% of those attempts did not resolve the problem or made it worse. These figures are survey results, not a measure of all U.S. homeowners or of Knob Hardware customers.
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A Young Store Builds Plumbing
Knob Hardware opened in 2023 and operates as an independent hardware retailer with a range of departments and services. Its plumbing section is one part of that broader offering, rather than a standalone plumbing business. The Hardware Retailing report presents the store as an example of how an independent retailer can serve both homeowners and professionals within the same category.
Silwal described different needs among those groups: DIY shoppers often need help matching a replacement part or understanding a project, while professionals may prioritize quickly locating stocked products. He said standard items tend to sell as readily available products, while specialty items call for staff to identify the customer’s application, required size, capacity, connection and intended use.
The survey cited in the report found that minor leaks and clogged drains were the plumbing issues homeowners put off the longest. It also reported differences by age group in whether respondents addressed their most recent issue immediately: 45% of baby boomers, 34% of Gen X, 35% of millennials and 31% of Gen Z. The report does not give further survey methodology beyond the sample of 1,001 U.S. homeowners.
“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, in comments to Hardware Retailing
Sales Growth Data Not Provided
The 10% to 12% revenue share is Silwal’s estimate as reported by Hardware Retailing. The article does not specify the period used to calculate it, provide underlying financial records, or compare plumbing sales with earlier years. It also does not quantify how much staff advice, specialty inventory or merchandising contributes to the department’s performance.
The SupplyHouse survey describes homeowner responses, but the report does not provide the full questionnaire, field dates, sampling details or a breakdown of responses by plumbing versus HVAC issues for every statistic. It is not clear how representative the findings are of homeowners overall. The report also does not say whether Knob Hardware has adopted the suggested videos, demonstrations or repair-kit displays.
Education Ideas Remain Open
Hardware Retailing’s account does not announce a new store program, expansion or scheduled milestone. It describes the current department and sets out possible ways retailers could support customers: publish demonstrations for common repairs, show products in store and bundle supplies for specific jobs. No implementation dates or results for those ideas are reported.
For Knob Hardware, the next measurable development would be updated information on plumbing sales, inventory or customer-service programs. Until the retailer or publication provides further details, the reported revenue share and operating approach remain a snapshot based on Silwal’s account.
Key Questions
How much of Knob Hardware’s revenue comes from plumbing?
Owner Sanu Silwal told Hardware Retailing that plumbing accounts for about 10% to 12% of total store revenue. The report does not specify the calculation period or provide financial records.
Where is Knob Hardware & Tool Store?
The independent retailer is in Connelly Springs, North Carolina. The report says the store was founded in 2023.
What does the store sell in its plumbing department?
The reported inventory includes faucets, pumps, drain and waste products, pipes, fittings, valves, hoses and supply lines, as well as specialty products such as sewage pumps and water-leak monitoring items.
Does Knob Hardware have a dedicated plumbing specialist?
No dedicated plumbing team is described. Silwal said general sales staff assist across the department, with more experienced employees helping on complicated questions or projects.
What does the report say about homeowners and plumbing repairs?
A SupplyHouse survey of 1,001 U.S. homeowners found that 93% delay plumbing or HVAC repairs at least sometimes. It also found that 71% of homeowners facing plumbing issues tried a DIY fix before calling a professional; among those attempts, 51% did not solve the problem or made it worse.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
