Wow! eBook
Mom & Pop Hardware: A Kansas Girl's Quirky Childhood at My Folks' Competing Stores
Author(s): Beth DeCarbo (Author)
- Publisher: Flint Hills Publishing
- Publication Date: September 6, 2025
- Language: English
- Print length: 211 pages
- ISBN-10: 1966323255
- ISBN-13: 9781966323259
Book Description
In this page-turning memoir, DeCarbo shares stories from her childhood summers and after school, when as 10-year-old Bethy, a/k/a “Miss Nuisance,” she sold nuts and bolts at her dad’s bustling hardware store on Main Street in rural Kansas. That is, unless she was selling nuts and bolts at the hardware store right next door. It was owned by her dad’s biggest competitor: Bethy’s mother.
Located in McPherson, Kansas, the side-by-side hardware stores set the stage for an unconventional childhood. Bethy’s dad, Gene, could talk the hide off a cow and fix just about anything. Her mom, Betty, had a quiet strength that belied a tragic past.
The “cast of characters” include Bethy’s mischievous brother Ricky, her offbeat Aunt Tootsie, and her self-appointed wingman Authur. Even Doorknob the cat makes an appearance or two.
Bethy encounters personal challenges that test her character, her family, and her faith. Meanwhile, both hardware stores face economic challenges that make their long-term survival a longshot.
Through it all, the good people of McPherson demonstrate their support and resilience, but Bethy discovers that some outcomes are beyond her control.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Set against the backdrop of B&G Hardware and Copeland Supply-two family-run, competing stores in a small Kansas town-this memoir is an absolute pleasure to read. DeCarbo masterfully captures the texture of daily life with warmth, humor, and sharp observation. Her storytelling invites readers not just to witness, but to feel the pulse of these stores and the family that orbits them. It’s a book that belongs on the shelf of anyone who cherishes heartfelt, beautifully written stories about real people and real places.
More than a memoir of hardware-store life, this book reflects the joys, losses, laughter, and quiet resilience found in communities across the country. Anyone who’s ever stepped foot in a hardware store will find something familiar here-and anyone who’s ever sat down to a family dinner table will recognize the small triumphs and tragedies that tie us together.
It’s a story that feels like home-and a reminder of the human hearts behind every ‘Mom & Pop’ sign.”
–Doug DonaldsonEditor, Hardware Connection magazine
“Beth DeCarbo tells a delightful tale in Mom and Pop Hardware, and best of all, it’s true. I started the book this afternoon and didn’t put it down until I’d finished. DeCarbo’s tone in this tale is perfect for a story with equal amounts of humor and sorrow. As a fellow journalist, I offer my congratulations.”
-Elizabeth Farnsworth, former chief correspondent of The PBS NewsHour.
“Hardware can help hold things together. This warm-hearted tale of small-town Kansas life shows how hardware can help hold a family together. A parking lot separated the stores of Beth’s parents, but with the kids pitching in, these competing businesses were as close as could be. Beth has done her family proud!”
-John C. Davenport, playwright and author The Man Who Couldn’t Pay Attention
