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Chubby’s – The Pound Ridge Ace Of A Place For Hardware And More

POUND RIDGE, N.Y. -- What happened a year ago with Superstorm Sandy is something few in Pound Ridge will easily forget. Thankfully, Chubby’s Hardware made life a lot easier and its owners are making sure we are prepared if it ever happens again.

Joe DiPietro Sr., left, and Joe DiPietro Jr. own Chubby's Hardware in Pound Ridge.

Joe DiPietro Sr., left, and Joe DiPietro Jr. own Chubby's Hardware in Pound Ridge.

What started out as the original Scotts Corner Market became a hardware store in the early 1960s. When Joe DiPietro, Sr. took over in 1980, it became the primary place for residents to buy everything from garden tools to emergency generators and everything in between.

It is still a family business now run by son Joe Jr. and daughter Stefanie, both of whom know the 15,000 items in stock at any given time. Since 1998, Chubby’s has been affiliated with Ace Hardware, a dealer-owned cooperative allowing customers to access 80,000 more items not on display.

Acknowledging how much his family appreciates Pound Ridge, Joe Jr. explains why Scotts Corners is so important to his family’s business. “The one convenience you find when you walk in our front door is the customer service,'' he said. He continues to confirm how his 10 employees know most customers by name, which is not easily done at the big box stores. “We see different trends and keep up with them as best we can." He adds “Last year we had so many emergency calls we were here to open early and stayed late to help as best we could." The biggest sellers as a result of Superstorm Sandy were obviously generators and chainsaws.

Joe also says Chubby’s does well selling Weber grills and that he has to be competitive when it comes to pricing. “It’s the assembly of a grill some people have a hard time receiving from the big stores but we take pride in offering that as part of our dedication to customer service,'' he said.

In the past year, Chubby’s has been selling the Benjamin Moore line of paint, which is a high-end quality item. Also ready to go for next spring will be a new garden center with plants, flowers and perennials.

One area that always does well is custom lettering done for mail boxes. Joe indicates it’s one of the more popular things he sells.

Like most business owners in Scotts Corners, he would like to see improvements to the infrastructure regarding water. The DiPietro family also helps as much as possible when it comes to local service organizations relying on businesses.

One of the newest items on sale at Chubby’s and certainly the best tasting are the pickles under the Tru Brand label. They’re in jars at the counter when checking out.

Have a safe weekend and be well, my friends.

Laurance Baschkin is a resident of Pound Ridge.

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