A family-owned Vernon Hardware & Auto Parts store in Vernon, Michigan, has permanently closed after 87 years of operation, ending a multi-generational business story that began in 1939. The store, which operated as a local destination for True Value Hardware and Napa Auto Parts customers, shut down after its owners were unable to find another family willing to take over the business.
The closure marks the disappearance of a long-running independent retailer that remained connected to the same family since its founding. Owners Andy Fults and Betsy Ethington decided to step away after decades of running the store and attempted to sell the company rather than close it outright.
A Family Business Built Across Four Generations
The history of Vernon Hardware & Auto Parts began when Fred Eberly founded the business in 1939 in downtown Vernon. The original store sold a variety of products, including furniture, kitchen cabinets, farm supplies, and hardware items that served the needs of local residents for generations.
According to The Street, the business remained within the family after Eberly’s grandson’s generation took over. In 1962, Robert Fults, the father of Andy Fults and Betsy Ethington, became the owner and continued developing the store’s role within the community.
In 1979, the business moved to a new location at 7200 E. M-71 to benefit from higher traffic and improved access for customers. The relocation helped the store continue operating as larger retail chains expanded across the United States.
Andy Fults became the owner in 1995, continuing the family tradition that had started more than half a century earlier. Ethington joined the business in 2000, helping operate the store during its final decades.
For many customers, the store represented more than a place to buy tools, hardware supplies, or automotive products. It became a familiar community institution where generations of residents built personal connections with the owners and employees.
The owners described the emotional weight of ending that history in a message shared on Facebook. “After 87 years of serving our community, the time has come for us to say goodbye as we close our doors,” the store’s owners wrote in the Facebook message.
They also explained the personal meaning behind the closure, writing, “Writing this letter is one of the hardest things we’ve ever done, because for so many of you, this has never been just a business relationship – it has been a multi-generational bond.”
The Search For A New Owner Came Up Empty
Before deciding to close, the owners attempted to preserve the store by finding another family to continue its legacy. Their goal was not simply to sell the business but to keep the family-operated identity that had defined the store since its creation.
Betsy Ethington explained the difficulty of that process in comments reported by The Argus-Press. “It was terribly hard,” Ethington said about their decision to close. “We tried selling the business. We said the family business needs a new family and we didn’t find a family, so that’s really hard.”
The search for a successor reflects a challenge faced by many independent businesses across the United States. Family-owned stores often depend on a new generation or another local family willing to assume responsibility for daily operations.
The owners did not publicly identify financial problems or direct competition as the reason for closing. A Home Depot location operates about nine miles away in Owosso, Michigan, but the store’s closure was primarily linked to the inability to transfer ownership.
The final days arrived sooner than expected. After announcing a July 31 closing date, the owners informed customers on July 23 that the last day would instead be July 24.
Following the shutdown, Fults and Ethington shared a final message thanking the community that supported the business for nearly nine decades. Their departure ended one of Vernon’s longest-running family enterprises.
