After 68 years, Miller's is still all in the family

Residents driving too fast down Fairbanks Avenue might miss it: the light red awning that reads “Miller’s Hardware” near Park Avenue. But for many locals, it’s a home away from home.

Customers who make their way inside are immediately hit with the smells of wood, paint and fertilizer. A network of winding aisles filled with tools, cleaning supplies and gardening equipment lead the way for local do-it-yourselfers to complete whatever task set before them.

A slew of photographs hang from the pegboard walls outside of the manager’s office. Family portraits – some in black-and-white and others in color – captured over several generations.

It’s a store with deep roots in Winter Park, and it’s still alive and well after 68 years.

The Winter Park City Commission recognized Miller’s Hardware on Sept. 23 with the economic development board’s 2013 Third Quarter Business Recognition Award – a testament to the store’s role in serving the local community.

The store remains Winter Park’s oldest family-run business, according to a statistic from the Winter Park Public Library.

“I think it’s an honor,” said Owner Steve Miller. “I’m glad to be recognized by the City Commission.”

Miller’s Hardware got its start as a paint store back in 1945, back when trees lined the quiet two-lane road that was Fairbanks Avenue. Miller’s grandfather Robert Miller opened the store when he came to Winter Park following the Great Depression, looking to create a business that was “recession proof.”

Miller is pretty sure he succeeded, as the hardware store still brings in faithful regulars decades later.

“We have second generation and even third generation people shopping here,” Miller said. “Somebody will say ‘Yeah, I remember my dad coming in here shopping.’”

The Miller family goes back four generations in the hardware store. Miller’s father, Bob Miller, took over the store in 1962 after Robert passed away. Today Steve runs the store, with help of his sons Clay and Stevie.

“Somebody comes in and they’ve known my father for 30 or 40 years, they know my grandparents and they know me and they’ve been shopping here all along,” Clay said. “It’s just really nice to bring a relationship full circle like that.”

The store still sits in its original location, expanding from the original 800-square-foot space to 17,000 square feet.

Miller’s Hardware now goes far beyond the paint store it first began as. A selection of grills, fireplaces and housewares and hardware supplies fill the shelves.

But Miller stressed that the store’s deep ties with its community haven’t changed a bit. Complete strangers quickly become close friends, sharing conversations on a first name basis and learning the inventory of the store.

“The world has become so impersonal and we’re a very personal business,” Miller said. “I think we’re very much tied to the community and part of it.”

“That brings joy to me.”

Miller remembers serving his community when it needed him most.

In 2004, Hurricane Charley ravaged Central Florida in an instant, leveling homes and knocking down trees. Many Winter Park residents lived without power, and came to Miller’s Hardware to buy electric generators.

Miller already had a large supply of batteries, flashlights, generators and propane in stock, and quickly opened his doors to lend a hand.

Lines of customers snaked out the door and all the way along Fairbanks Avenue.

“We were here for the city during that,” Miller said.

“We all had stuff to deal with personally, so thank goodness they could come here and get what they needed.”

Mayor Ken Bradley recognized Miller’s Hardware on Monday not only for its financial success, but for the role it plays in the city of Winter Park.

“They’re community builders,” Bradley said. “They’re not just all about their business, they’re about making this city better.”

Miller’s Hardware still faces its share of challenges. The rise of Internet shopping and the heavy competition from box stores like Target and Home Depot keeps the local shop on its toes. But Miller believes that the store remains something unique. A meeting place for neighbors between shelves filled with power tools and paint cans. A service to Winter Park for years to come.

“It’s sort of like a meeting place, like going to church,” Bob said. “People see each other and they know each other in there.”

“It’s an amazing thing to me; we never thought it when we opened up.”