Sue Johnson/Daily Mining Gazette Swift’s Hardware in Houghton is offering curbside pickup for orders made over the phone or the internet seven days a week.

While most storefronts are closed due to COVID-19, Swift’s Hardware of Houghton remains open seven days per week, if on temporarily restructured hours. The 150-year-old business run has adopted updated policies including curbside pickup to make sure that customers’ needs are met while maximizing their safety.

“We, as a business people are trying to keep the store a available for people,” fifth-generation owner Marylin Swift said in a statement. “Toilets still break down and water heaters still need replacing …”

Meanwhile, Spring is upon us, and new and expanding products are arriving every day.

“We’re building and growing all the time,” General Manager Leann Weeks said in a phone interview. “We really have embraced that old-style mercantile style. We commonly say, if we don’t have something, you might not need it.”

In the garden department, the store has gotten in new pots and seeds. The store has also begun to offer screen repair with a variety of materials to meet a variety of needs. That includes materials meant to be animal proof. One screen material is even designed to be practically invisible so that the screen provides bug and animal protection without destroying the view of the lake.

The store’s accessory offerings have also expanded to include women’s scarves and jewelry.

The art department is also expanding. They currently offer oil and acrylic paint, pastels, and all of the papers and canvases required. Craft wood is also now available. “Inktense” pencils are a favorite of the staff. The pencils write in dry ink. When it is wetted, it dries permanently.

Swift’s is also known for its line of Scandinavian products, including sauna supplies, which is also growing. A new line of Moomin merchandise has also reached the shelves. Finnish chocolates and Swedish candies are also available at the shop, including a new product line in just in time for Easter.

These include Abdallah Chocolates, another fifth-generation company, this one based in Minnesota. Leann is a particular fan of their chocolate covered marshmallow eggs, though chocolate chicks and bunnies are also available.

Swift’s True Value Hardware store is located at 402 Sheldon Avenue in Houghton. Their current hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.

“We will go back to our normal hours as soon as all of this has passed,” said Weeks. “We’re doing everything that we can to maintain the safety of our customers while still providing our services seven-day-a-week.”

In order to take advantage of their curbside pickup offering, order online at stores.truevalue.com/mi/houghton/10124/ or by phone at 906-482-0530.

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