Drips To Dollars: How One Retailer Turns DIY Plumbing Into Retail Success
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Knob Hardware & Tool Store in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, says its plumbing department accounts for about 10% to 12% of store revenue. The retailer attributes the category’s role to a broad selection, organized displays and staff who help customers identify the right parts; the source report does not provide sales comparisons or independent verification.

Knob Hardware & Tool Store in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, says plumbing products account for about 10% to 12% of its total revenue. The retailer says it supports the category with a range of plumbing parts and employee guidance for do-it-yourself customers and contractors. Founded in 2023, the store was profiled by Hardware Retailing for its plumbing department.

Owner Sanu Silwal told Hardware Retailing that the department includes everyday supplies as well as harder-to-find and specialty items. Its range includes faucets, pumps, drain and waste products, valves, pipes, fittings, supply lines and hoses, along with sewage pumps, water-leak monitoring products and specialty repair parts. Silwal said plumbing contributes the reported share of revenue.

The report describes a sales approach built around understanding the repair before recommending a product. Staff receive training on product applications, sizing, fittings and connections, and are encouraged to ask about the customer’s project. DIY shoppers may need help identifying a replacement part or matching a connection, while contractors often need clearly labeled, stocked shelves that let them find supplies quickly.

Knob Hardware does not have a dedicated plumbing team, Silwal said. General sales staff assist across the department, with more experienced employees helping on complicated questions or projects. Larger boxed items sit on shelves, while smaller fittings and repair parts are arranged on peg hooks and in bins. Silwal said standard items tend to sell as readily available products, while specialty goods require staff to match the item to the problem, size, capacity, connection and intended use.

At a glance
reportWhen: Published in Hardware Retailing; the re…
The developmentA trade publication profile details how Knob Hardware has developed its plumbing department into a revenue category since opening in 2023.

Plumbing Sales and Customer Service

The profile describes a plumbing department where staff help customers identify parts, fittings and connections. Knob Hardware’s general sales employees handle routine questions, while more experienced colleagues assist with complex projects, according to Silwal.

A SupplyHouse survey of 1,001 U.S. homeowners, cited by Hardware Retailing, found that 93% delayed plumbing or HVAC repairs at least sometimes. It also reported that 71% of homeowners facing plumbing issues tried a DIY fix before contacting a professional; among those attempts, 51% did not resolve the issue or made it worse. These survey results describe homeowner responses and do not establish that store assistance affected Knob Hardware’s reported revenue share.

The profile describes the store’s inventory, displays and staff training. It does not provide comparative sales data or evidence that these practices produce similar results at other retailers.

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A Young Store’s Plumbing Mix

Knob Hardware opened in 2023 and carries departments and services beyond plumbing, including hunting and fishing, U-Haul rentals, screen repair and electrical products. The plumbing section is one part of that broader operation. Hardware Retailing’s account focuses on how the store has developed the category, rather than reporting a new expansion, investment or change in ownership.

The article also cites differences in how quickly homeowners address plumbing issues. In the SupplyHouse survey, 45% of baby boomers said they handled their most recent issue immediately, compared with 34% of Gen X respondents, 35% of millennials and 31% of Gen Z respondents. The report says minor leaks and clogged drains were the plumbing problems homeowners put off the longest. These are survey findings, not measurements of Knob Hardware customers or sales.

Hardware Retailing lists short online demonstrations for common problems, in-store product demonstrations and grouped emergency repair kits as possible ways retailers could provide customer education. It also mentions QR codes beside grouped products that link to relevant videos. The article does not report that Knob Hardware currently offers these services.

““Staff are encouraged to understand the customer’s project before recommending a product.””

— Sanu Silwal, owner of Knob Hardware & Tool Store, quoted by Hardware Retailing

Sales Data and Survey Limits

The 10% to 12% revenue figure is attributed to Silwal, and the source does not provide a time period, revenue totals, year-over-year comparison or independent accounting data. It is not clear how the department’s share has changed since the store opened or how much comes from contractors versus homeowners.

The article also does not give the SupplyHouse survey’s field dates, question wording or margin of error. Its percentages describe surveyed homeowners, not all U.S. households, and should not be treated as a direct forecast of demand at Knob Hardware. The report does not establish whether the store runs online plumbing videos, in-store demonstrations or bundled repair kits.

It is also unclear how employees decide when a customer’s problem requires a licensed plumber rather than a retail repair recommendation. The profile does not describe specific safety guidance, referral practices or the limits staff place on advice for complex work.

How the Retail Approach Develops

Hardware Retailing’s report does not announce a planned expansion or provide a date for a follow-up. It also does not provide updated revenue figures or details about planned changes to the product range or customer education programs.

The report describes the retailer’s current model: maintain a broad assortment, organize products for selection and train general staff to ask about the repair before recommending a part. It provides no information on whether the store’s revenue share will change or whether other retailers have adopted this approach.

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 specify the period measured or provide supporting financial statements.

Where is Knob Hardware & Tool Store?

The store is in Connelly Springs, North Carolina. Hardware Retailing reports that it was founded in 2023.

Does the store employ a dedicated plumbing team?

No dedicated plumbing team is described. Silwal said general sales staff help across the department, with more experienced employees assisting on complicated questions or projects.

What plumbing products does the store carry?

The reported assortment includes faucets, pumps, drain and waste products, pipes, valves, fittings, supply lines and hoses, as well as specialty products such as sewage pumps, leak-monitoring items and repair parts.

Does the report show that customer education increased sales?

No. It describes staff training and recommends educational ideas for retailers, but provides no sales comparison showing that education caused an increase at Knob Hardware.

Source: hardwareretailing.com

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