True Value named business of the year

Winner True Value was named the business of the year at the Winner Area Chamber of Commerce banquet Thursday.

The True Value legacy begins with Marvin and Florence Broline. Marvin and Florence lived in Hamill where Marvin ran a repair shop. They decided to move to Winner and Marvin worked for Grossenburg’s.

One day in 1951  Marvin stopped in the local hardware store for something. The story goes that day or very soon after he went home and told his wife he bought a hardware store.  It was the Coast to Coast store on Main Street. At that time the business was 25′ by 50′. How many men can go home today and tell their wife they bought a business?

Velma Jean Broline of course worked for her parents. One day a young man came into the store to have a key made. Velma Jean made his key. It must have been pretty impressive because in 1956 they tied the knot. Velma Jean married William Duane Patmore.  For a number of years they worked the family farm, Velma was also  a teacher. In 1970 they took the leap and moved to town with their family and purchased the Coast to Coast from her parents. They raised three boys in the store, Dan, Tim and Sam.

In 1997 after 18 years of living in Rapid City Dan and Coleen and three children moved back to assist with the business.

Many things have changed over the years. Of course size of the business.. Back in the day Marvin would hand write up an order send it snail mail. After a period of time he would get a call from the depot his order was here and go pick it up.  Next you called in your order and read all the numbers of items and hoped for the best. If the numbers weren’t transposed you may get some surprises.

Forward to technology the thing was call a Xon you would hook it to your phone receiver and it would make a lot of sound like a fax and would send coded order over the phone.  Today we do a suggested order, edit it to our likening and the touch of a button the order is sent within seconds. Twenty four hours later the order arrives at the back door of the store.

In 2000 Coast to Coast merged with True Value and it has been Winner True Value ever since. Many things have changed over the years but one thing has never changed, customers are always first.

The Patmore children have been raised in the store, Arianne Boerner who works part time,  Ross who helps quit often with unloading truck and other times when Dan calls and says can you help. Ross is a teacher in the Winner School District. Samantha lives in Brookings.  The Patmores have 8 grandchildren ages 13 to a newborn on Jan. 12.

“We need to thank some special employees currently Evelyn Mahoney, Byron Foreman , Arianne Boerner , Mallory Thayer, Alana Supik and up until very recently Loraine Price.  Some special past employees, Pearl Chambers , Sharon Voskia and Molly Connot. For many years Evelyn, Sharon and Pearl were the ‘ONES’”, said Coleen Patmore in her speech at the Chamber banquet. 

“Most importantly we want to thank the customers who have become family. Thank you for supporting us and Winner True Value for over 70 Years,” said Coleen.