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Home | Our History | Glass & Mirror | Window Tinting | Accessories | Find Us |
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The following is
a story which appeared in the July 5, 2000 issue of the
Fitzgerald Herald-Leader - it tells the story better than we
ever could...
Herald-Leader
Section B
Feature Front
by Dorie Paulk
Gerald Hardin reflects on 53 years in business,
78 years in Fitzgerald
 Gerald
Hardin is an unusual individual. He remembers the days when the
McCormick brothers sold brand-new GM cars for $1,000 and the
Lions Club sold brooms as a fund raiser, the days when the Pine
and Grand Theatres were the place to be on the weekend and when
men resolved their problems with fair fist fights. His favorite
hymn is "Surely Goodness and Mercy" and he lives by the ideal
that "a good name is better than great riches."
"I enjoy going to work every day," Gerald says. "I'm going to
spend the rest of my life working for the Lord and for myself.
People ask me when I'm going to retire. I say, 'When I go out to
Evergreen!' I'll be 79 years old in November and as long as I'm
able, I want to work."
He notes that if he ever does have to retire he plans on hanging
around Hardee's in the morning with his good friend Gerald
"Jerry" Pryor.
"Jerry's a good man. He has a great name too," Hardin points out
slyly. "His real name is Gerald."
Gerald wasn't always in the upholstery and glass business. "In
'45 or '46 I used to catch tickets at the Grand Theatre," he
explains. "I worked there for about six or eight months and then
I asked by boss if I could go through some management training.
"Well, we went up to Columbus and talked to Mr. Martin (the
owner). He said that I should start getting some training. We
came back to town and I went back to catching tickets. I
reminded my manager about what Mr. Martin said and he said,
'Son, you have to work your way up from the bottom.' I said that
I'd been working my way up from the bottom long enough and
walked out of there.
"I turned left, walked down an alley and found myself at Tommy
Defore's upholstery shop."
 He
soon started working at the upholstery shop at a salary of $25 a
week and went back to high school to get his diploma.
"I had quit high school in 1937 to farm and then I went into the
service," Gerald explains. "Going back to school was the best
time of my life. All the other kids were 18 and I was a
25-year-old coming out of the service. I was a hero.
"I had a 1931 B-Model Ford Coupe," he remembers, "and every day
at dinner time all the girls (and Gene Harper, too) would run
and jump in the car. I was the only one with a car. They would
hang onto the sides and off the back. We had a great time. We'd
go to Haile's Drugstore or somewhere else and get something to
eat."
"When I went back to school I remember that I was older than
some of my teachers. I had a 20 or so year old teacher for
typing and I was 25! But I had two special teachers that really
meant a lot to me," Gerald says. "Mrs. Henry McLendon and Miss
Margaret Cannon."
After Gerald graduated, his boss, who lived in Cochran, offered
to sell him the shop. "I told him I'd like to buy it if I could
get the money," he explains. "He wanted $1,000 for everything,
including the tools. I still use a lot of those old tools that
came with the shop in 1947.
"I talked to Mark Mathis at the National Bank and asked him if I
could get a loan. He asked if I had any collateral. I said that
I didn't have anything. So, he said I'd have to get someone to
go on a note with me.
"Mr. E.L. Snowden went on with me. I decided as soon as he
signed it that he'd never have to pay that money back, that I
would get that money. I paid about $20 or $25 a month for a long
time, but I got him paid back.
"Every time I saw Mr. Snowden, I'd thank him for what he did for
me," Gerald continues. "If it wasn't for him and the good Lord,
I would not be where I am today."
Gerald never forgets a name or face. He says, "Back in 1948 the
first seat covers I made were for Dr. J.E. Smith (the father of
John Ed Smith and my family doctor) and Cecil Clark. They both
had new cars. I told them if they didn't like my work, then I'd
fix it or they wouldn't owe me anything. But, they both liked my
work and that's how it all got started."
Gerald has been a member of Arbor Baptist Church since 1942.
"Arbor's a wonderful place. We have a lot of fun there," he
relates. "I met my wife, Gladys, there. I married her on my
birthday, November 7. She's the best present I ever got! We've
been married 51 years now."
Currently, Gerald works on upholstery, headliners, seat covers,
carpet, door glasses and windshields and his son David does
tinting and truck accessories.
Over the years, his business has been located in a wooden shop
he rented from Randolph Cook in front of the old library on S.
Lee street, in a fruit stand he bought from Charlie Harper and
remodeled and at it's current site behind the post office, where
he moved in 1966.
"In 1948, my friend Ken Hobbs moved to Fitzgerald from Texas,"
Hardin remembers. "He had this sign on his truck that said
'painting signs in Fitzgerald since 1948' and it was 1948! He's
painted all my signs ever since.
"In 1952, Ned Mercier came to work with me," Gerald remembers.
"I told him that he could work at my shop as long as he wanted
to and he retired in 1998 because of health reasons. He was 80
at the time, and I think he'd still be working now if it weren't
for his knees."
"Ned's wife Jean is a wonderful person and his son Greg is a man
above reproach," Gerald continues. "Greg married Betty Campbell,
the finest Christian lady I know, and they have two sons that
are the greatest. I'd just like to thank Ned for coming my way.
"He was a faithful employee and friend for 46 years. He is a man
that you can count on and I never wondered if he was going to be
at work or not. He was always there he was seldom sick. He's
from the old school - when he tells you something you can take
it to the bank."
Being a "man of your word" is extremely important to Hardin. He
expects his son, David, to be of "the old school" as well.
 "I
plan for my son David to take over the shop and carry on the
business in the near future," Gerald says. "When I do a job for
a person I tell them that if they like my work, they should tell
their friends and if they don't, they need to tell me and I'll
make it right. I'm sure David will run the business by that same
rule.
"I've always told David to do his best and if it didn't look
good to him he needs to do it over. He has always done that. He
specializes in tinting car windows and I think he is among the
best. I will be proud to let him carry on the business for the
next 50 years."
The first 50 (actually 53) years of Hardin's Trim Shop have been
pretty eventful and Gerald has lots of good stories. He has
heard some real interesting ones from his customers.
"The funniest story anyone ever told me about how their
windshield got broken is that a buzzard flew through it. Another
one I hear a lot is that people will be swatting at a fly and
they hit their windshield instead and break it," Gerald laughs.
"Unfortunately, the most common story is that their boyfriend or
girlfriend took something and broke all their windows."
When asked what his secret to long-lasting success in business
is, Gerald replies, "It's simple. Being honest and telling
everybody the truth is the only way. If someone has a problem
with your work, then fix it. don't give people the runaround.
that's how my business has stayed open for 53 years."
Though Gerald is a great advisor, he also wishes he had someone
to ask questions and receive sound advice from.
"I'd give anything sometimes just to talk to my mama and ask her
what she thought about things, " he says with emotion, "so I try
to talk with my kids and grandkids. I want to answer all of
their questions now, so they don't have to wonder about things
later."
Hardin loves talking with his family, but he can also often be
found talking to God. He's a faithful prayer and a regular
church attendee.
"There just ain't nothing like being close to the Lord," he says
with assurance. "The closer you get, the more you love Him." For
Gerald, being close to the Lord means keeping his word and being
honest with his customers and being close to his family. Because
of this closeness with both his heavenly and earthly families
Gerald says, "I've been happy every day of my life."
Surely goodness and mercy have followed Gerald Hardin all the
days of his life thus far.
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This page was last updated on
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 |
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