Pinckney Hardware hosts
Ladies' Night

News Staff Reporter

Seeders, sledge hammers, circular saws, oscillating sprinklers and socket head set screws may not be at the top of most holiday shopping lists, but they were just the sort of items on the wish lists of several dozen Pinckney area men.

At least that was what Renee MacRitchie, co-owner of Pinckney Hardware, discovered when she gave out wish lists to her male customers, then invited their wives to shop for them Dec. 1, the store's first Ladies Only Shopping Night. More than a dozen wives showed up to respond to those wish lists.

"My managers thought of it," says MacRitchie, whose managers as well as much of her staff are women. "The most interesting wish list request I saw was a mop and bucket."

Debbie Brooks was looking at an electric roaster for her husband.

"He does all the cooking," she says. "I'm also shopping for my son who's into woodworking. He wants a gift certificate, and I also got him a tool belt. Ladies night is a good idea."

"It's hard getting anything out of my husband," says shopper Bonnie Shelden. "I'm not especially at home in a hardware store, but I know he uses a lot of power tools and is a big fisherman."

Employee Michelle Taylor was shopping for her boyfriend and picked up an Ultra Hold, which holds almost anything, and a storage cabinet.

"Working here has given me the knowledge to not feel intimidated," says Taylor. "I've learned how to mix paint and all about electrical stuff."

Her mom, Tracy Taylor, was shopping for a contractor pack that her husband requested.

Managers Mary Banister and Wendy Robertson were there to answer questions.

"I've been in the hardware business for 30 years," says Banister.

Robertson, who was hired at Pinckney Hardware when she returned from Operation Desert Storm almost 12 years ago, says most of the customers, both male and female, have gotten used to having women running the hardware store.

"The guys used to come in and ask for men," says Robertson. "Now they like having women working here."

Other perks on Ladies Only Shopping Night included a complimentary table of fruit punch and appetizers, goody bags with coupons and gifts from local merchants, and a free massage from Heather Bishop, from the Kim and Company beauty and wellness salon in Stockbridge, who set up a massage chair near the checkout counter.

Shopper Marilyn Grohowski says, "I love lists as long as I have help here to find things. My husband asked for a cordless drill and accessories, and bits are the big thing."

Sheri Topic smiled as she found exactly what she was shopping for.

"I'm buying this toilet plunger for my neighbor's husband because he took mine," says the Pinckney resident. "We have a good neighborhood, which is why I can get away with that!"

Lisa Carolin can be reached at lcarolin@livingstoncommunitynews.com or
at (810) 844-2010.

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MacRitchie tests shopping idea in Pinckney

Leave it to Renee MacRitchie. She's just full of good ideas.

MacRitchie and her staff at the Pinckney Hardware had about a dozen women come in for Ladies Night to do some Christmas shopping for the men in their lives. Earlier, the men had filled out Santa lists for things their wives could buy them in the hardware. It was brilliant marketing for MacRitchie and very smart of the guys who were able to spell out exactly what they wanted.

It was a match made in heaven or at least the North Pole.

But these wives aren't the ones who need the help. It's the guys - guys like me - who need a local jeweler or department store to take our wives' lists and then lead us to just the right gifts.

Let's face it guys, when was the last time our wives got us a real dog of a Christmas, birthday or anniversary present? They're pretty good at this gift-giving stuff. They actually listen when we mention things we'd like. And they aren't afraid to ask for help to make sure they get it right.

Guys like me. We're a different story. We let the subtle hints whiz right past us like fast balls from a major league pitcher: There's just no way we're going to connect.

Even when we do get the hint, we're often too intimidated to buy clothes, jewelry or perfume, because, well, we're just not comfortable shopping in those departments.

What we really need is for Renee MacRitchie to pack up her staff from the Pinckney hardware and, one by one, take over the stores where our wives have left their Santa lists and help the ones who need it the most: The husbands.