The upcoming Furys Ferry Hardware Store at the Village West Shopping Center in Martinez is gearing up to open early next year, says co-owner Charles Cates.
In June, the sprawling department store Final Cut at 500 Furys Ferry Road announced it would be closing, leaving more than 50,000 square feet of retail space vacant for potential future tenants.
Charles’ father, Doug Cates, is one of the owners of the property, along with engineer and philanthropist T.R. Reddy.
“I have been wanting to open a hardware store for a few years now,” said Charles Cates, noting his own experience in retail and industrial supply as manager of Richmond Supply Company & Rubber Division. “So [my father] gave me a call and said, ‘Hey, you know, I’ve got this space. Would you want to open one in there?’ I said, absolutely.”
Cates found a partner who, he said, is currently remaining anonymous, to develop plans for launching a new store where Final Cut used to be. The Furys Ferry corridor had long been on his radar as a viable one at which to set up shop, in part because of its proximity to residential areas.
“The only option is to drive over to Home Depot or Lowe’s, and I know that drive is not super convenient,” Cates said.
The store will not take up the entirety of the shopping center space, but it will still have more than 20,000 square feet to work with. The retailer will offer many major equipment brands, including Greenworks, a line of electric gear and tools, with the unique hallmark of having all of its items, from mowers to screwdrivers, powered by the same batteries, Cates explained.
However, the store’s distinction, he said, won’t be in carrying recognized brands, but in a robust garden center.
“We’re going to take out part of the wall at the right side to lead to the gardens outside,” Cates said.
Heavy renovations are still underway inside and out, including removal of fixtures and repainting, from when the Bi-LO supermarket inhabited the building.
Cates said he hopes to have Furys Ferry Hardware Store complete by the end of January, and open by February, just in time to prepare for Master’s traffic, and estimates hiring will begin in about a month.
“Both my partner and myself were born and raised in Augusta,” he said. “We’re trying to make sure that everyone knows this is not a big box store, this is just two local guys opening up a hardware store.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
