General Manager David Jolly marked his 10th anniversary Aug. 10 at the helm of Metzger’s Do It Best Hardware.

He brought with him experience working in related positions in his home state of Alabama and was recommended to Metzger’s by the chief operating officer and vice president of sales at Do it Best.

“Metzger’s liked my experience and philosophy for running a successful business,” Jolly said.

Many changes have occurred since Jolly began overseeing the Los Alamos and White Rock stores.

“We updated the floor plan in Los Alamos increasing usable space for merchandise by about 15 percent,” Jolly said. “We also implemented a pricing strategy aligned with big box stores making us more competitive, along with a price match guarantee.”

A new inventory management system was recently installed, which is still being tweaked but has already significantly reduced out of stock items, he said.

“We also exited the gas station business, which has allowed us to focus on our strengths and invest in the hardware stores,” Jolly said. “Removing gas made room for an outdoor display area and patio at our White Rock store, and we continue to look for more opportunities in the future.”

Jolly commends his employees for their dedication to the store and the community and said the store has received a number of honors and recognitions as a result.

In 2017 during its 70th anniversary, Metzger’s was recognized by Independent We Stand for working with Los Alamos MainStreet.

“A successful business requires a strong community, so I have worked hard there, too,” he said.

Jolly serves as president of Los Alamos MainStreet and is a board member and past chair of the Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation. His service on County committees includes Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Tourism Strategic Plan and Implementation Task Force and Friends of MPNHP (Downtown Tourism).

“Tourism brings extra people and potential for incremental sales to our community,” Jolly said. “Housing brings population and long-term potential. This is indirect, but it is potential – then it is up to us to take advantage of that.”

In reminiscing about his experiences over the last 10 years Jolly described his most fun experience.

“A customer brought her Best Buy printout of a vacuum she wanted to buy in to our store on her way (literally) to Santa Fe,” he said. “She decided to stop – just to see if we had that vacuum. We actually had that exact same vacuum at the same price. She was so excited!”

His most challenging experience involved a customer on an elk hunting trip who bought two (jumbo) coolers to take his elk back to California in. It turned out that he only needed one cooler but left the area too early to return the second. He thought Do It Best was a chain, so he found a store on his phone. Racks in Albuquerque was actually a lumber yard.

“Racks wouldn’t take the return so as he drove to California, he called Do It Best to complain about us,” Jolly said. “He wound up finding a dealer in California who would work with me. The dealer accepted the cooler and called me so I could issue a credit to his card. The dealer then returned the cooler to his warehouse, which made sure it was fit for resale, then issued us a credit through our warehouse in Waco.”

Jolly said that in the end the customer was only partially satisfied, because he couldn’t understand the concept that each of the stores he was trying to return the cooler to were actually locally owned independent businesses.

Metzger’s Hardware first opened in 1947 in Los Alamos in the old Commissary Building.

Metzger’s offers a broad assortment of merchandise at competitive prices and a commitment to customer service, Jolly said.

“Since the beginning, Metzger’s has worked hard to serve our community,” he said. “Over the years, we have given back to the community by supporting projects at our schools and with youth groups and sports teams.”

Through its participation in Small Business Saturday over the years, Metzger’s has given back a portion of that day’s sales, donating thousands of dollars to the United Way of Northern New Mexico. 

“Metzger’s also believes a strong community is key to a strong business and we support community efforts to improve Los Alamos and White Rock through the Chamber of Commerce, Los Alamos MainStreet and the Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation,” Jolly said. “At Metzger’s we work hard to earn your business, and to be your first choice!”