You don't have to leave Butler to enjoy a 40,000-square-foot interactive home improvement showplace where you can touch and feel products that can be ordered from coast to coast.

The Home Improvement Center was established in 1980 by brothers-in-law Kirby Stevenson and David Wood.

The two set out to be an all-encompassing, one-stop supply center. Their unique business provides an enormous selection of quality merchandise fitting any budget without sacrificing customer service.

The original location of the Home Improvement Center was a building built in the 1850s that housed one of Butler's first grocery stores — Ferguson Grocery at 400 E. Locust St.

Then in 1998 it moved to its present day location, another landmark building built in 1904, the Butler Meat Packing Co. at 505 Negley Ave.

It houses one of the area's largest home improvement showrooms. It displays windows, doors, skylights, glass-block windows, kitchens, countertops, faucets, bathrooms, whirlpools, flooring, paneling, moldings, roofing, decking and fireplaces, as well as a full service hardware department.

The Home Improvement Center's hardware department has thousands of stock items such as bulk fasteners, items by the foot and electrical and plumbing supplies. Services offered include window rescreening and new custom screens made, tools sharpened, keys cut and custom orders taken.

The Home Improvement Center is staffed by trusted employees and family members who have dedicated themselves to the remodeling industry. The mission of the Home Improvement Center is to provide consumers with a satisfying shopping experience. This is achieved by offering an extensive selection and educating customers on their product choices, thereby enabling their clients to make informed decisions.

The 28-year veterans of this home improvement company are involved daily in every aspect of their business and are excited about this year. They have plans to expand their extensive lines of quality merchandise as they continue to offer the latest products on the cutting edge of technology.

The Home Improvement Center welcomes all those who choose to be weekend warriors and want to do their own work, homeowners who are in need of a helping hand when it comes to installation and to the contractors and their clients of new construction.

Consumers should not have to settle for what is on big box store shelves because home improvements are some of the most important lifetime purchases.