Depot

The Orange Revolution Setting: Atlanta, Georgia — June 1979

They changed tactics. They turned the front of the store into a classroom. They started hosting workshops, showing customers how to fix a leaking toilet or lay tile themselves. The message was simple: You can do it, and we can help . The Orange Revolution Setting: Atlanta, Georgia — June

Slowly, the skeptical DIYers returned. Then came the contractors. Then, the lines started forming. The depot wasn’t just selling hardware; it was selling the empowerment to build one’s own dream, revolutionizing the home improvement world forever. If you liked this, I can: The message was simple: You can do it, and we can help

Bernie felt the heat of the Georgia summer, but it was nothing compared to the fire in his gut. Just over a year ago, he and Artie had been unceremoniously fired from their jobs, told they were finished in the hardware business. Then, the lines started forming

They wanted to build a "depot"—a cavernous, warehouse-style, 60,000-square-foot behemoth that made other hardware stores look like toy shops. They wanted sawdust on the floor, skid marks, and prices so low they’d turn the industry upside down.