"Our basic philosophy," says co-owner Jay Harrison, "is to carry deep inventories of things people use every day&emdash;so if a guy comes in and he needs a hundred three-quarter inch PVC couplings, we've got 'em. As a local store, not only do we provide inventory, we provide service and assistance."

"Many times people come in here and they're not in the best of moods because they've got to fix something that's broken," he explains. "If you can take care of their needs and do it so when they walk out the door they're laughing or smiling, then you've accomplished two goals."

Continuing the family tradition started by their father, proprietors Jay and Jack Harrison gladly hire Harrison sons and daughters interested in minding the cash registers, stocking shelves, and helping customers. Members of their extended clan, which includes in-laws, significant others, and senior employees, round out the friendly staff that patrons have come to rely upon for replacement parts, tool recommendations, and fix-it know-how.

Harrison Hardware has a remarkable roster of long-term employees, which includes Paul Montgomery, who has roamed the aisles assisting customers for over 20 years, and Chris Jacobsen, who has been at it nearly as long. Ole Olsen called on the store as a garden supply salesman for many years before retiring and hiring on in the garden center about a decade ago.

"Our philosophy is that work's got to be fun," Jay declares. "You've got to enjoy your work, you've got to be able to laugh&emdash;it gets real busy here and if you get a little slack time, I don't get upset if I see a couple of my employees b.s.-ing or talking about nothing. We're not all over their back all the time."

Richard, the youngest Harrison brother and a former partner in the Santa Ynez store, started his own hardware store nearly three years ago. He embraced the credo of offering value and service, and has made a great success of his Lompoc enterprise.

The Harrison's hardware story began in 1963 when Fred and Ella Harrison vacationed at the Alisal Guest Ranch. As they explored the countryside between rounds of golf, the Valley worked its magic on them, and when they came across an 80-acre parcel beside the Santa Ynez River, they bought it.

In 1966, the Harrisons moved from Woodland Hills and built a spacious home on their property at the end of Meadowlark Road. Two years later, Fred sold his machine shop in Santa Monica, bought a half interest in Solvang's Valley Hardware from Bill Hanley, and a short time later, purchased a large scrubby lot at the edge of Santa Ynez.

Fred felt sure the Valley could support a second hardware store, and in 1972, he started construction of the L-shaped shopping center that now stands at Edison and Numancia Streets. He and Bill remained partners in the two stores until they decided to assume sole ownership of their respective businesses

"My dad ran [the store]," Jay remembers, "and around 1978, he sold the business to my brothers. I was headed for Arkansas and I stopped here on the way&emdash;I came back in November of '82 and bought in on it."

"Business was a lot simpler then," he continues, "you knew everybody by their first name. Most of them not only lived locally, they worked locally&emdash;on Sunday, we could watch the whole football game, because we'd be lucky if we had a hundred customers. Now on Sunday you've got 300 customers."

"In the early days," Jack Harrison adds, "the only thing that kept us going was the cow ranches and Arabian horses. The town was really tiny. We stocked hardware, lawn and garden, and all the things that horses break. We wouldn't be here without our customers, all the local people who have supported us over the years."

Neither Jack nor Jay Harrison has any plans to leave the livelihood that has sustained them and their families for three decades. With it's near-dawn opening hours set to accommodate early-rising ranchers, the ever-steaming pot full of free coffee, and the mind-boggling array of inventory, their big-little hardware store is part of the fabric of Valley life.

"I really like coming to work&emdash;I enjoy my job," Jay reflects, "that's why I've been here for 21 years and I'll probably stay here in some capacity until they, you know, put me in the ground at Ballard."

"We plan on staying," he says. "In order for us to leave, someone would have to show up with a lot of briefcases&emdash;a lot of big briefcases&emdash;with a lot of hundred dollar bills, more than they can carry in one trip from their car. That's what it would probably take to get us out of here."

As the Valley grows, ranchers, residents, and weekend warriors will continue to pour through the doors of Harrison Hardware, looking to spruce up the spread, fix broken parts, and improve their homes. Always prepared, the brothers have a sure-fire plan in place for meeting the demand.

"We stock the same stuff we always have," Jack laughs, "we just have a lot more of it."