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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. The retailer’s approach combines a broad selection of standard and specialty parts with staff training to help both DIY customers and trade professionals. The source report does not provide audited sales data or a time series showing how the department grew.
Knob Hardware & Tool Store in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, has made plumbing a meaningful part of its business, with owner Sanu Silwal saying the department accounts for about 10% to 12% of total store revenue. A Hardware Retailing report describes how the store combines a wide range of plumbing supplies with general staff training to serve homeowners tackling repairs and professional customers seeking parts.
The store, founded in 2023, carries products spanning faucets, pumps, drain and waste items, pipes, fittings, valves, hoses and supply lines. Silwal told Hardware Retailing that the department also stocks specialty items, including sewage pumps, water-leak monitoring products and repair fittings. The report does not give sales figures in dollars or detail how the department’s revenue share has changed over time.
Knob Hardware does not have a plumber dedicated to the department. Instead, Silwal said, general sales staff assist across product areas, with more experienced employees helping on complicated plumbing questions or projects. Staff training covers product applications, sizing, fittings, connections and common repairs, with employees encouraged to learn what a customer is trying to fix before suggesting an item.
The store arranges products by type and customer need. Larger boxed goods sit on shelves, while smaller fittings and repair parts are displayed on hooks or organized in bins, according to Silwal. He said standard items tend to sell as readily available, high-volume products; specialty items require staff to match a product to the problem, including its size, capacity, connection and intended use.
Service Turns Plumbing Into a Sales Category
The report describes how Knob Hardware combines plumbing inventory with customer assistance. Homeowners may seek replacement parts for repairs, while contractors may need particular products for their work. Silwal said staff ask about a customer’s repair before recommending a product, and more experienced employees help with complicated questions or projects.
SupplyHouse’s survey, cited by Hardware Retailing, found that 71% of homeowners with plumbing problems tried a DIY fix before calling a professional. Of those attempts, 51% did not resolve the issue or made it worse. The survey reports respondents’ experiences but does not establish whether store advice prevents failed repairs or affects sales.
Silwal’s reported revenue share indicates that plumbing accounts for a portion of Knob Hardware’s business. The report does not provide information about the department’s profitability or the costs of maintaining its product assortment.
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Homeowners Often Delay Plumbing Repairs
The SupplyHouse survey covered 1,001 U.S. homeowners, according to the source report. It found that 93% delayed 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 at all. The report identifies minor leaks and clogged drains as the plumbing problems homeowners put off the longest.
The survey also reported differences by generation in how quickly respondents addressed their most recent issue: 45% of baby boomers said they acted immediately, compared with 34% of Gen X, 35% of millennials and 31% of Gen Z. These are survey findings as presented by Hardware Retailing, not measurements of repair behavior in every household. The report’s suggested retail responses include online demonstrations for common problems, in-store demonstrations and grouped emergency-repair products, potentially accompanied by QR codes linking to instructions.
““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, speaking to Hardware Retailing
Sales Growth and Outcomes Are Not Detailed
The report does not provide audited revenue, profit margins or year-by-year sales for the plumbing department. Silwal’s 10% to 12% figure is an owner-reported share of total store revenue; the source does not specify the accounting period or offer independent verification. It also does not quantify how much staff training, specialty inventory or educational resources contribute to that share.
The SupplyHouse survey figures are reported without further detail here about the survey’s field dates, sampling method or margin of error. The findings describe respondents’ reported experiences and do not establish why repairs were delayed, whether a retailer’s guidance changed a repair’s outcome, or whether customers ultimately needed professional help. The report does not say that Knob Hardware has introduced the proposed video demonstrations, in-store classes or repair kits.
Retailers Can Test Practical Customer Education
Hardware Retailing’s report suggests that stores could publish short demonstrations for common repairs, hold in-store product demonstrations, or group supplies for a particular repair together. QR codes could connect shoppers with instructional material. These are recommendations in the report, not confirmed plans or programs at Knob Hardware.
The source provides no announced expansion, new service or sales target for Knob Hardware. The report does not state whether the store plans to add educational offerings or change its plumbing assortment. Silwal’s estimate that plumbing supplies about 10% to 12% of store revenue is the only reported measure of the department’s contribution.
Key Questions
How much of Knob Hardware’s revenue comes from plumbing?
Owner Sanu Silwal told Hardware Retailing that plumbing accounts for about 10% to 12% of total store revenue. The report does not give the measurement period or independently verified financial figures.
Where is Knob Hardware & Tool Store?
The store is in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, and was founded in 2023, according to the report.
Does the store employ a dedicated plumber?
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 does the store stock for plumbing customers?
The reported assortment includes faucets, pumps, pipes, fittings, valves, drain and waste products, hoses and supply lines, as well as specialty items such as sewage pumps and water-leak monitoring products.
Does the report show that plumbing education increased sales?
No. The report describes staff training and suggests videos, demonstrations and repair kits as ways retailers could educate customers. It provides no data linking those measures to sales growth or repair outcomes at Knob Hardware.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
