It’s been 75 years since the doors of a Niagara-on-the-Lake institution first opened.

Penner Home Hardware, or “Penners” as most locals know it, celebrated its 75th anniversary on Friday with a community barbecue for customers, staff and family. Under a white canopy, employees served hot dogs, hamburgers and vanilla cake to guests.

Marcia Penner, who runs the business with her husband Kevin, said being in the same town and the same location for three-quarters of a century makes the milestone especially meaningful.

“We love our community,” she said.

The store began in 1950 as an independent hardware business founded by Peter Penner. It joined the Home Hardware chain in 1964 — a move Kevin and Marcia call a “great partnership.”

Peter’s son Harry took over the business in 1982 at age 40, and Kevin was handed the reigns in 2008. Peter died when Kevin was “very young,” he said, but both Harry and Kevin were on hand for Friday’s celebration.

Now 83, Harry has worked at the store his entire adult life. He started full time at age 16, deciding school wasn’t for him — and, after that, he barely missed a day of work.

He said the family has run the business “pretty much the same way” through the generations.

Harry enjoys the business side, especially negotiating with suppliers, but said success ultimately comes down to treating people fairly.

“When you’re buying, don’t nickel and dime the people that you’re buying from,” he said.

He’s passed those values on to Kevin.

“He knows he’s got to negotiate, he knows he’s got to watch prices,” Harry said.

Harry also emphasized the importance of having goals.

“I wanted to have the biggest lumber yard in the Niagara Peninsula,” he said. “That’s what I’ve worked towards. Whether I’ve got that, I don’t really know. But I think that became a drive to keep going.”

Kevin and Marcia said the store’s longevity also comes down to company culture, with customer service and community involvement at its core.

“Customer service is number one,” Marcia said.

That philosophy extends to the staff as well. Store manager Lawrence McLean, who has been with Penner Home Hardware for four years, helped cook and serve cake during the event.

“It’s a non-corporate vibe,” he said. “But we do things very well. The customer service is incredible here and the staff are amazing.”

“(Marcia and Kevin) treat people the way people should be treated.”

Marcia said their children Kelsey and Kyle are next in line to take the business over, marking four generations of local family ownership.

daniel@niagaranow.com