Town Hardware Swannanoa has a heart for tools, equipment and community

New downtown Beacon location prepares for grand opening on Alexander Place

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 21, 2026

Peter and Beth Ballhaussen have launched Town Hardware Swannanoa, which offers tools, equipment, small engine repair and more in the heart of Beacon Village. The business will host a grand opening celebration, May 15 and 16. Photo by Fred McCormick

There are reminders of a bygone era when customers walk through the doors of the newest business to open its doors on Alexander Place, in the heart of downtown Beacon Village. A vintage clock that once hung on the wall inside Ward’s Drug Store and a pickle jar from the old Park’s Grocery store are proudly displayed in the renovated building the businesses once shared.

While Town Hardware Swannanoa, which will celebrate its grand opening, Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16, represents the latest addition to the bustling block, owners Peter and Beth Ballhaussen, and staff, already feel right at home selling the tools and equipment to help rebuild their hometown.

The longtime Swannanoa residents, who have owned and operated Town Hardware & General Store in neighboring Black Mountain for 13 years, announced plans, last September, to expand their business. The new location, offering tools, equipment and small engine repair, launched, April 8, with a soft opening.

The 4,200-square-foot brick structure at 119 Alexander Place, which was once home to a pharmacy and market before later being occupied by Berry’s Farm Supply, was vacant for nearly 25 years when the business owners identified it as a potential site for a second location. The expansion, according to the Ballhaussens, marks an opportunity to invest in rebuilding the community, which was devastated by Helene in September of 2024.

While much of the unincorporated community’s business corridor along U.S. 70 was damaged or washed away by the Swannanoa River, the structures within the downtown district, south of the highway, were largely spared. The area, between upper and lower Beacon Village, was developed to service the substantial workforce that once powered Beacon Manufacturing, which operated in a massive factory through most of the 20th century, before closing in 2002.

When the blanket mill, which covered one square mile on the eastern side of Whitson Avenue, burned down in 2003, the nearby business district remained largely vacant in the years that followed. In February, 2024, the Beacon Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a goal of revitalizing the historic Swannanoa village, announced plans to construct a bike park on the site. Beacon Bike Park and Beacon Park, which will feature a pump track, designed by Velosolutions, a walking track and large green space. The facility is anticipated to open this fall.

Many buildings along Alexander Place, a short roadway that connects Whitson Avenue and Park Street, were unoccupied for decades, before Blunt Pretzels brought its Bavarian recipes from Marshall to Swannanoa in 2020. Short Sleeves Coffee, which operates out of a remodeled service station, joined the block in May of 2025, while Rite Buy Grocery opened its doors last December. The Ballhaussens, who have lived in the Grovemont neighborhood of Swannanoa for over a decade, were inspired by the local businesses leading the resurgence of the downtown district.

“This whole area was, for a lot of years, kind of like the central meeting place for the people who lived in Swannanoa,” said Peter, who offered a tour of Town Hardware Swannanoa with Beth. “It’s encouraging to see a new generation of locals driving this revitalization, and we were eager to be a part of that.”

The front counter at Town Hardware Swannanoa features nods to the community’s past, including a vintage clock that was once displayed in the pharmacy that once operated in the building. Photo by Fred McCormick

While the Black Mountain location features a wide selection of souvenirs, books, kitchen products and toys, along with hardware supplies, the Swannanoa site carries mostly tools, equipment and building and maintenance essentials. The open space includes nine aisles, with shelves lining the main walkways on either end. Power tools, plumbing supplies, home repair, maintenance materials, paint and lawncare equipment are prominently featured among the inventory.

The Ballhaussens were assisted with the plan by Do It Best, the nationwide cooperative that Town Hardware has been a member of since its inception.

“We remodeled the shell of the building, installed the lighting and HVAC, and then worked with Do It Best on the design,” Peter said. “First, we created the layout, then we worked together to figure out all the products.”

The merchants were intentional in the process, he added.

“One of our goals when we decided to open a second location in Swannanoa was to carry things the community needs,” Peter said. “We’re also responsive to feedback, so if there are requests that we get over the next few months, we can adapt.”

The hardware store offers equipment rental, including tillers and mixers for concrete, mortar, stucco and grout, while a nearby station to repair small engines is occupied by Swannanoa native Will Hoilman, one of six additional employees hired to staff Town Hardware.

“Will manages our rentals and repairs, which is a service we thought Swannanoa could really use at this time,” Peter said. “We specialize in small equipment rentals and small engine repair, because a lot of people have home projects they’re either planning to start or already underway.”

Hoilman, who grew up when the nearby factory was fully operational, described the opportunity to work in downtown Swannanoa as surreal.

“When I was 17 years old, I had my first physical right down the street. I can almost see it from right here, so it feels like things have come full circle,” he said. “I’ve been away from here for almost 30 years, raising my family in Old Fort, 20 minutes away. I’m thankful to these two people right here, and it’s a proud feeling to see people come in and be in awe of this new store.”

While serving its role as a supply hub for the community is the primary focus of Town Hardware Swannanoa, nods to local history are featured prominently throughout the space. Photos depict an old aerial view of Beacon Manufacturing and the surrounding housing and infrastructure, while another large image features the faces of former mill employees gathering for a Christmas party decades ago.

“It makes my heart feel good to know that somebody could walk in here to grab something, look up, and maybe recognize their parents, grandparents or even themselves in that picture,” Beth said. “It was important to us, even as a hardware store, to honor the history of this community.”

Nine aisles, shelves along walkways and an outdoor equipment rental space are stocked with inventory, following the, April 8, soft opening of Town Hardware Swannanoa. Photo by Fred McCormick

A pair of cash registers, encased in vintage bronze covers, adorn the customer service counter, while a mid-20th century photo of Alexander Place is visible in the background. Nearby, local memorabilia given to the Ballhaussens by family members of former local business owners is displayed.

“Right after we announced we were opening here, we got a phone call from a woman who was the granddaughter of Dr. Ward, the pharmacist that was once here. Turns out, she’s our neighbor,” Peter said. “She grew up in this store, and she was so excited to see something coming back here. She gave us the clock that was once up in his store.”

Interactions with people who remember downtown Swannanoa as a thriving business district have prompted emotional responses from Beth.

“I tear up just thinking about it,” she said. “The next Saturday, after meeting Dr. Ward’s granddaughter, the granddaughter of Mr. Parks, who now lives in Wilmington, came into our store. She said she was excited we were opening here, and that she also grew up in the building. She gave us a pickle jar, and we now have the grand opening poster from Park’s Grocery that we plan to put up.”

The community’s response since the soft opening has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Beth.

“It’s been great,” she said. “Even before we opened, people were stopping by to visit every single day. The night before we opened, Peter and I stayed here to move boxes. We had a grandfather with two kids stop by, and they just kind of hung out for a while.”

Town Hardware Swannanoa will celebrate its grand opening in conjunction with the one-year anniversary of Short Sleeves Coffee, according to Peter.

“The celebration that Saturday will coincide with their anniversary, so we want to have a block party,” he said. “We’ll have some vendors out here and some cross-marketing with Short Sleeves Coffee. We really want to celebrate not only our opening, but all of the positive things happening right here in the middle of Swannanoa.”