Since it opened in 1980, A&M Hardware has been bringing the essentials of country living to the Accord area: the nuts and the bolts, the tools and the tips on using them. That, in itself, is a beautiful service—but to be a great hardware store takes a little more. It’s a constantly evolving business that demands creativity, flexibility, and efficiency—and customers find all that and more at A&M. Sure, they can sharpen your chainsaw or sell you the best pair of pliers in the known universe. But you can also find an oil-free infrared turkey fryer, maple sugaring supplies in season, and a cruelty-free mousetrap.
Hardware sales is a constantly evolving business that demands creativity, flexibility, and efficiency and customers find all that and more at A&M.
Creativity is baked into this store’s DNA. “It’s definitely become a cornerstone over 41 years,” says owner Jeremy Mirto. “My mom and dad, Anthony and Michele, were the original A&M in the name. But the roots go back before that, to my mom’s father. He used to have a hardware store in the middle of Accord, near Mettacahonts Road; he closed it to help finance my parents when they wanted to open A&M. He went on to do his own thing at flea markets, but he definitely played a huge part in getting this started. And when it first got going, it wasn’t exactly a hardware store—it was sort of a flea market itself; they’d buy things wholesale and sell whatever they thought people would want. It evolved into a hardware store because that’s what the community needed.”
Mirto has vivid memories of those early years. “My dad had a giant 15-passenger van and he ripped all the back seats out, and we’d go to the wholesale store and load it up with deals on overstock or stuff from places going out of business, and then go stock the store. We never knew what we’d find: I remember at one point having 2,000 baseball caps. We didn’t get deliveries. I don’t think delivery trucks were even a thing for small indie stores back then.”
The freestyle approach led to lots of interesting moments. “I remember a time years ago when we sold women’s underwear and bras for a while because we got a dynamite deal on them. We had a big bin of them outside, and people were swarming it, a real feeding frenzy. Bras were flying through the air everywhere.”
Helping out at the store was a big part of Jeremy’s childhood and teen years. “Violating all the labor laws,” he chuckles. “But it’s the same with my daughter—she’s 9 now, and she absolutely loves being behind the counter ringing up customers. And I’d have to say I learned a whole lot of technical stuff from our customers.”
In 1994, the store’s elderly building burned to the ground. “I was maybe 11 or 12,” Jeremy recalls. “The building was a couple hundred years old—it had been a theater, and I think it might have been a church before that. The electrical wiring was ancient. It caught fire in the middle of the night, and there was just nothing left. My grandparents had been living in a little apartment in the back; thank goodness they got out, but it was all gone. We were down for the count.” But long before the count concluded, the Mirtos were on their way to a brighter future. “The community was amazing,” Mirto says. “I remember the local ice cream shop delivered a gallon to our house on Christmas Day to cheer us up. One of the highway department guys, just a kid then really, used to show up to help us rebuild every day and shovel when it snowed. Everyone just joined forces for us.”
Mirto studied economics in college, but soon realized a desk job would never satisfy him. Nevertheless, he wanted to do his own thing. His inspiration came from A&M customers. “In 2006, we were selling loads of standby generators, and everybody wanted to know how to install them, who could help them with that. So I learned, and that’s one of the things we still do in my other business to this day.”
“It’s definitely become a cornerstone over 41 years." – owner Jeremy Mirto
That other business, Reliable Energy Solutions, was officially founded in 2010 and now installs not just generators but ductless AC/heat pumps, high efficiency boilers, and propane heating and hot water systems. “We offer a very select menu of services that are in high demand,” says Mirto. “We do what customers want: give them the options and the pros and cons of each and empower them to make an educated decision. I also tell them what I’d do if it was my house, because that’s the one question everyone always asks.”
In 2022, “it came time that my dad wanted to sell this place,” says Mirto. “He was the sole owner at that point, and fortunately I’d done well enough that I was in a position to purchase it from him. I have my customers to thank for that; they’re the ones who made it possible.”
He wouldn’t have been as interested, he says, if Tony hadn’t already had the place running like a fine Swiss watch. “I love being here, always have, but management and delegation is key,” he says. “We train our own people, we promote from within, so it’s been organic growth. And I love watching glass ceilings shatter. I love diversity. I’d love to see more applicants from all over the spectrum of humanity. Hardware and the trades aren’t just a guy thing—I work with a female-owned electrical company all the time.
“We’ve got people who’ve been here for 15, 20 years and have the best knowledge on how to make it better." – owner Jeremy Mirto
It’s about your ethics and knowing what you’re doing, doesn’t matter who you are I actually replaced our skid steer with one that was better for shorter people. I don’t know who designs those dang machines, but the pedals were hard to reach, so we immediately replaced it.” Those employees might have wondered what changes the transition from father to son would bring, but they were immediately reassured. “I took them all out to dinner, gave everyone a well-deserved raise, and asked for their feedback,” Mirto says.
“They were all very informative, and we’ve been making some subtle changes, like opening up some more square footage inside the store. We own another building next to the store, and we’re going to be doing something with that next year, and I’m taking everyone’s opinion into account. That way, nobody’s upset and we get the benefit of a very smart organizational culture we’ve got people who’ve been here for 15, 20 years and have the best knowledge on how to make it better.”
As a new, proud owner, Mirto wants to see A&M evolve and keep its cornerstone status for the next 40 years and beyond. “My father did a great job for 40 years, but he wasn’t big on change,” he says. “He kinda rode the wave, you know? It’s been a really great wave, and I’m grateful for the foundation. But we’re not done surfing yet.”
a&m hardware
5000 US-209, Accord , 845-626-2788
845-430-5965,
amhardware.doitbest.com
