The Summer of Projects

If you've driven through any neighbourhood on PEI this summer, you've heard the soundtrack: circular saws, nail guns, and the steady thwack of hammers. Everyone is building something. The COVID renovation boom is real, and it has hit the Island hard.

Here's what we're seeing at the store: Beauti-Tone paint is our number one seller, and national backorders are a real thing right now. If you've got a specific colour in mind, call ahead and we'll check stock before you make the drive. Garden seeds sold out this spring for the first time anyone on our team can remember. Apparently when people are stuck at home, they discover they want to grow tomatoes. We get it. Deck builds are through the roof — pun intended — and we're moving lumber out of the yard as fast as we can bring it in.

The numbers back up what we're seeing. Surveys are showing that something like 94% of Canadians have taken on a home project during the pandemic. That's not a typo. Nearly everyone is fixing, building, or improving something. And we've got to be honest with you — lumber prices are starting to climb. We're watching the wholesale market closely and doing our best to keep things fair, but if you're planning a big build, sooner is better than later.

Tips for Planning When Supply Is Tight

• Call ahead. Don't assume we have it in stock just because we usually do. A quick phone call saves you a trip.
• Be flexible on colours and brands. If your first-choice Beauti-Tone shade is backordered, we can help you find something close or order it with a timeline.
• Plan your whole project at once. If you're building a deck, come in with your measurements and we'll do a full material list. That way we can flag anything that's hard to get before you're halfway through the build.
• Don't overbuy. We know the instinct is to stock up, but if everyone buys double what they need, it makes the shortage worse for your neighbours.

On our end, we've adapted. We added curbside pickup early on — call the store, place your order, and we'll bring it right out to your vehicle. Safety measures are in place inside: hand sanitizer at the door, distancing markers on the floor, and plexiglass at the registers. Our team has been incredible through all of it.

The way we see it, this is what a hardware store is for. When people are home and they want to make their homes better, we want to be here with the materials, the advice, and the encouragement to help them do it right. Keep those projects coming, PEI. We'll keep the shelves stocked as best we can.