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Knob Hardware & Tool Store in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, says its plumbing department generates about 10% to 12% of store revenue. Owner Sanu Silwal attributes the category’s role to a broad product range, organized displays and staff trained to understand customers’ repair needs; the source report does not provide audited sales data or a longer-term comparison.
Knob Hardware & Tool Store in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, has built a plumbing department that owner Sanu Silwal says contributes about 10% to 12% of total store revenue, according to a report by Hardware Retailing. The account offers a case study in how an independent retailer can serve do-it-yourself customers with product selection and staff guidance, although the sales figure is an owner-reported share rather than an independently verified result.
Founded in 2023, Knob Hardware sells products across a range of departments, including hunting and fishing, plumbing and electrical, and offers services such as U-Haul rentals and screen repair. Silwal told Hardware Retailing that the store’s plumbing offering includes faucets, pumps, drain and waste products, valves, pipes, fittings, supply lines and hoses. It also stocks specialty items such as sewage pumps, water-leak monitoring products and repair fittings.
The store’s approach centers on helping customers identify what a repair requires before suggesting an item. Silwal said staff receive training in product applications, sizing, fittings, connections and common repair situations. Employees are encouraged to ask about the project first, since shoppers may not know the size or connection type of the part they need.
Silwal said general sales staff assist throughout the plumbing department, with more experienced employees helping on complex questions; the store does not have a dedicated plumbing sales team. The department is arranged by product type and customer need. Larger boxed goods sit on shelves, while smaller fittings and repair parts are kept on peg hooks and in bins. The report says this layout serves both contractors looking for readily available supplies and homeowners working through specific repairs.
Service Turns Parts Into Sales
The report’s central business point is that plumbing retail involves more than stocking common fittings. Customers may arrive with an urgent leak or a failed part, but without enough detail to select a replacement. A retailer able to clarify the issue and match it to the right size, capacity and connection can make a broad assortment more useful to both DIY shoppers and trade professionals.
That model may also support repeat visits: a customer who gets useful guidance on one repair may return for another project. Hardware Retailing presents customer education as an opportunity for independent stores, suggesting options such as repair videos, in-store demonstrations and grouped emergency kits. These are recommendations in the report, not programs confirmed as already operating at Knob Hardware.
The business implications should be read within the limits of the available information. Silwal’s estimate that plumbing accounts for 10% to 12% of store revenue shows the category’s reported share at his store, but the report gives no revenue totals, profit margins, sales trend or comparison with other retailers. It does not establish that the same strategy will produce similar results elsewhere.
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A Young Store’s Plumbing Mix
Knob Hardware was founded in 2023 and, as described by Hardware Retailing, operates as a multi-department independent store in Connelly Springs. Its plumbing section is one part of a wider business rather than a standalone plumbing specialist. That makes staff versatility relevant: employees cover multiple hardware departments, while more experienced colleagues take on harder plumbing questions.
The report also cites a survey of 1,001 U.S. homeowners conducted by SupplyHouse. SupplyHouse found that 93% said they delay plumbing or HVAC repairs at least sometimes; 13% said they waited six months or longer to address their most recent issue, and 8% said they did not address it. Among homeowners who faced plumbing issues, 71% tried a DIY fix before calling a professional, and 51% of those attempts did not resolve the issue or made it worse. These survey results describe respondents’ reported behavior; they do not measure Knob Hardware customers or prove that a particular retail approach changes repair outcomes.
Hardware Retailing also reports that minor leaks and clogged drains were the plumbing issues homeowners put off longest. The survey’s figures on when different generations addressed their most recent issue were 45% for baby boomers acting immediately, compared with 34% for Gen X, 35% for millennials and 31% for Gen Z. The source provides those group percentages but does not supply further detail here about the survey’s methods or margins of error.
“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 Need More Detail
The 10% to 12% revenue share comes from Silwal’s account to Hardware Retailing. The report does not state the period used to calculate it, provide underlying sales records, or clarify whether it refers to gross sales or another measure. It also gives no figures for the department’s costs, profit or year-over-year performance.
The report does not establish how much of the department’s performance comes from advice, product range, location, customer mix or other factors. The SupplyHouse survey is national homeowner research, not a study of Knob Hardware shoppers, and the supplied material does not include its full methodology. The retailer’s account therefore offers an example, not proof that the approach caused a particular financial result or will work the same way at other stores.
No Further Milestone Reported
Hardware Retailing’s article describes the store’s current product mix, staff practices and reported revenue contribution, but it does not announce a new expansion, investment or sales target. No next milestone for Knob Hardware’s plumbing department is specified in the source material.
The report recommends that retailers consider practical customer-education measures, including online videos for common repairs, in-store demonstrations and grouped emergency repair kits, potentially with QR codes linking to instructions. These are suggested approaches rather than confirmed plans from Silwal. Further reporting would be needed to establish whether Knob Hardware adopts them and how the department performs over time.
Key Questions
How much revenue does Knob Hardware say comes from plumbing?
Owner Sanu Silwal told Hardware Retailing that the plumbing department accounts for about 10% to 12% of total store revenue. The report does not provide the time period or supporting sales data.
Where is Knob Hardware & Tool Store?
The store is in Connelly Springs, North Carolina. Hardware Retailing says it was founded in 2023.
Does the store employ a dedicated plumbing team?
No. Silwal said general sales staff help customers across the department, with more experienced employees assisting on complicated plumbing questions or projects.
What products does the plumbing department carry?
The reported assortment includes faucets, pumps, drain and waste products, pipes, valves, fittings, supply lines and hoses, as well as specialty items such as sewage pumps and water-leak monitoring products.
Does the report prove that this approach caused the sales result?
No. The article reports Silwal’s estimate of plumbing’s share of store revenue and describes the store’s practices, but it does not provide audited figures or evidence isolating the effect of staff guidance, product range or store layout.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
