In the mid-1970s, Craig Sagehorn was looking to make a change. At that time, Craig, along with his wife Elenore and their 5 children lived in Brooklyn Park, MN. Some of his previous jobs were very physically demanding and, after enduring back surgery, he wanted something that could support his family while not straining his body. He was working part time at Jerry’s of Edina, a hardware store affiliated with Our Own Hardware Company. He liked this type of work and thought this could be the answer.

The process in the 70’s to buy a hardware store was to visit their headquarters to find out where they had stores for sale. It just so happened that many of the companies were headquartered in Minneapolis. He made several trips to different stores throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin trying to find the right one. In February 1976, he made the journey to Sparta, WI to look at Kelly’s Our Own Hardware. At that time the store was located at 229 N. Black River St. in a small complex that included a laundromat, beauty salon, and a grocery store.

The store was struggling, but the surrounding area is what drew Craig to make his decision. He said on the drive down from Minneapolis, if the area remained this beautiful, he felt this was the one. He ultimately decided to purchase the store and in August 1976, with the mantra of “failure is not an option” on repeat in his head, he moved his family to Sparta.

The store was very dated and needed a complete overhaul. To accomplish this task, he would find stores that were going out of business and buy all their fixtures to modernize his new business. This helped a lot and throughout the late 70s and early 80s, the business grew. At first, he sold everything from toys to guns to fishing tackle. But as time went on, he wanted more of the core hardware store and phased out some of the departments that weren’t as profitable.

In 1986 a major change to the city was coming. In a cornfield south of town, Wal-Mart planted their sign. Knowing this would have an impact on business, he knew he needed to do something. He called Wal-Mart headquarters to confirm that they were in fact building here. Right next to the newly planned Wal-Mart was a parcel of land for sale. In a somewhat knee-jerk reaction, he knew they would hurt his business where he was so he wanted to be right next to them, as that’s where the traffic would be. The land was bought, the building planned and constructed, and by 1987 the new much larger store was open. With the additional room he was able to expand into many departments including power equipment and rentals. The store quickly became known in the community and surrounding area to be the place that had everything. Looking to expand even further, he also became part of the U-Haul franchise, thus bringing more traffic in.

Craig’s son Paul had always worked at the store through the years, and eventually the plan was for him to take it over one day. He began to take on more responsibilities and was included in more business decision making. Over the years there were some major changes with suppliers. Our Own Hardware was bought out by Do-It Best, and with Sparta already having one, Craig and his son Paul knew they needed to make a change. They decided to join True Value Hardware Company. This only lasted a few years before True Value was struggling as well, and having already gone through one company getting bought out, they decided to get out ahead of it. Ace Hardware was the only other company at the time that made sense. After several years with them, they were approached by a wholesale distribution company that operated differently to the others. No franchising, no advertising, no fees; they would just supply the products. It was perfect.

Around this time in the 00’s, Paul was taking on a more central role at the store and the plan was made for him to start purchasing the store from his father. At the beginning of 2009, Paul took control of the business and began the transition to Orgill. Since this new company wouldn’t require us to carry their name, he came up with our current name “The Hardware Store” because it was often thought of as “THE hardware store of Sparta”. He remained at the helm, with his father assisting him, for several years.

In 2016, Paul’s son Wyatt approached him about buying the store. At first it seemed foolish and impossible considering his age of only 20. However, the more it was discussed the more plausible it became. Wyatt already had a few successful side businesses, so the transition to the family’s main business seemed less daunting. Wyatt, along with help from his grandfather, was able to secure the financing to buy Paul out and become the sole owner. This allowed Paul to focus on his long-time trucking business and Craig to work with his grandson in the store, helping to guide him. Wyatt’s brother Hank, already a long-time employee of the store, began to take on more responsibility and worked to help his brother and grandfather grow the business.

Sadly, on March 31, 2022, Craig passed away at the age of 81. He left a lasting legacy on the community and the business that meant so much to him. To this day there are many regular customers who still remember Craig fondly for all the help, assistance, and stories he shared over the years. He was an incredibly kind and selfless father, grandfather, community icon, and business leader, without whom The Hardware Store and the greater Sparta community would not be the same. His tradition is carried on by his grandsons Hank and Wyatt, who strive to make sure his legacy is felt by the next generations.