Home improvements during a pandemic
As the pandemic clenched its grip on America last spring, canceling vacations, halting sports, closing schools, testing the limits of broadband by transitioning our jobs from the physical workplace to the digital universe and disrupting essentially every aspect of our daily lives, we slowly came to realize that we’d be spending a lot of time at home.
All of that newfound free time around the house had us daydreaming about what improvements we could make. Millions of Americans became avid gardeners. Yards were as beautiful as ever, being meticulously cut and cared for. Local nurseries were selling out of plants, seeds, stone, and mulch.
Andy Amrhein, who has owned Evey True Value Hardware in Bethel Park for nearly five decades, explained that his customers were entering the store in droves. “They were asking me about everything,” Mr. Amrhein mentioned, “from the best organic yard products that won’t harm their pets to advice on how to turn an extra bedroom or den or basement into a home office. We had a tough time keeping patio furniture in stock.”
There were so many decks being built that a lumber shortage shot prices through the roof. Fire pits were flying off the shelves, the sweet smell of smoldering maple wafting through the air as you took a walk around your neighborhood during dusk. Our homes transformed into not only the place that we lived, but also worked, learned, taught, and entertained. They became our personal schools, offices, bars, and restaurants.
“It was the single biggest year in Evey True Value’s history for home gardening products,” said Mr. Amrhein, “Customers started calling them Victory Gardens as they did during World War II when food was scarce and the government urged its citizens to produce their own fruits and vegetables.”
Friends and neighbors were offering up extra tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and anything else they had in abundance. Growing our own fruits and vegetables made us rethink our diets and the source of our food.
But summer waned, grass stopped growing and gardens no longer produced as brisk weather took hold across Western Pennsylvania. 2020 gave way to 2021.
The Greater Pittsburgh Area is currently experiencing one of the highest snow totals on record. Shoveling driveways and sidewalks has become part of our morning routine. Rock salt is scarce and shovels are worn. But spring is near, and as the pandemic enters its second year our restlessness is returning.
Whether due to product shortages, overbooked contractors, or multiple phased projects, many of us plan to pick up on home improvement projects that were started last year.
“The home improvement projects people are coming to talk to me about seem to be a continuation of last spring,” said Mr. Amrhein. “We are already on our second order of garden seeds, organic soils, and pit moss. People are arriving with drawings of gardens, presenting plans to my staff. Inquiring about when fencing and other gardening products will arrive at the store.”
Some of Evey True Value’s most popular spring products are the various types of Scott’s Turf Builder, Jiffy Seed Starter Pots, Miracle-Gro Quick Start Planting Tablets, NK starter seeds, and Audobon lantern bird feeders among others.
If you are planning to have a bustling food garden this spring, it’s best to start growing the seeds inside now and then transfer them outside when the weather warms up. Evey True Value has all of the products you’ll need to begin this project including starter seeds, fertilizer, growing containers, and lighting.
One of the more interesting trends that Mr. Amrhein and his staff have noticed over the past year is the creative reuse of wood pallets for furniture, gardens, and other projects around the house.
As for other projects, head over to True Value’s website on which they have an extensive Do It Yourself page with step-by-step instructions that will take you from planning through execution for an abundance of home and garden projects. It includes everything from fixing bald spots in your lawn to organizing your garage to prepping your patio and beautifying your deck.
When I asked Mr. Amrhein if there was any advice that he could give those planning to embark on a home improvement project this spring, he offered up the following:
“The biggest thing is don’t be afraid to try it. Maybe you’ll fail, maybe you won’t. If you fail it can be fixed and you move forward. If you build a garden and it doesn’t work, study up and see how it can be better. Don’t hesitate to ask the experts who work in our store, they’ve been there and done it all. We independent retailers hire experts.”
2020 was a year we’ll never forget for many reasons, both good and bad, but we’ve turned the page and are looking forward to warmer weather and sunshine in 2021.
As Mr. Amrhein so joyously stated, “It’s going to be a good year” and I couldn’t agree more.