Trader Horn to close
PENN TWP — When Bob Greenberger told people he owned Trader Horn, he often heard the response “That’s my favorite store.” Because of that, he worked it into the company motto.
But now after more than six decades of being a staple retailer in Butler County, the owner of “your favorite store” is choosing to focus on health issues and recovery, and is closing all seven stores.
Liquidation at the discount retail chain will begin in mid-February. The company’s 200 employees were told about the decision Monday.
“He cannot run the business the way he always has,” Dave Smith, advertising manager, said of Greenberger. “He wants to focus on his health. It’s hard to run a business of this size. And without the pressure of running a business, I hope he can feel better.”
The stores are in Prospect, Butler Township, Eau Claire, Ellwood City, Clarion and Kittanning. A store, a warehouse and the administrative office are on Route 8 in Penn Township.
Smith said all but three of the Trader Horn buildings are leased. It has not yet been decided what will happen with the buildings owned by Greenberger, which are in Prospect, Penn Township and Eau Claire.
Since it’s inception by Greenberger’s father in 1952, Trader Horn has sold a variety of household goods at discount prices.
At that time, when the first store opened in Prospect, customers shopped at department stores and paid manufacturer’s recommended prices or they went to specialty shops for items like paint or tires.
But Trader Horn sold a collection of goods — ranging from snacks and clothing to hardware, plumbing supplies and hard-to-find products — at prices under those suggested by the manufacturer.
It was a concept that clicked in this region. At the company’s height in 2007, there were 11 Trader Horn stores.
Only in recent years did stores in New Castle, Indiana, Grove City and McCandless close, almost always due to leasing issues.
Each of the stores offers products that were based on the size of the facility and the needs of that community.
For example, in the Penn Township store, a number of fishing poles are ready for spring. While in the Butler Township store at the height of summer, there’s generally a lot of lawn and garden items offered.
“These stores, as they are, are the closest thing out there to an old-fashioned hardware store,” Smith said, walking past an aisle of sporting goods to point out the popular Bell View canned goods that Trader Horn always has on stock. “We have never been fancy, but we always got the job done.”
Smith said the company’s success was based on a simple equation of good, loyal employees and customers.
Many employees have been there for decades. For example, one employee recently announced his retirement after 48 years with the company. Another couple of employees were so enamored with the store that they held their wedding there.
“We tried our best to serve our customers fairly, honestly and give them the best prices,” said Smith. “And for 57 years, we did something right.”
Nothing is more testimonial to the loyalty of the store’s customers than an anecdote from a few years ago. Trader Horn decided to run television commercials using testimonials from customers who were asked, “Why do you like Trader Horn.”
Each person who made a commercial was given a Trader Horn hat.
One elderly man in Grove City spoke highly of the store in his advertisement.
Smith said, “A few years later, when he died, he was buried in his Trader Horn hat.”
