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Choptank Supply in Denton, the all-in-one hardware store has provided Caroline Countains with top-notch tools, materials, equipment, and services for 20 years. But most of all, Choptank Supply is known for its state-of-the-art customer service and attention to detail.
David Blough opened Choptank Supply in 2004. “Choptank Supply was opened to serve contractors and landscapers originally, however, many of those contractors and landscapers asked us if more general hardware store items could be stocked.” With the eventual closure of Nuttle Lumber Company and Denton Hardware, the demand for a local source for hardware and other goods became that much higher. Blough and Choptank Supply’s Store Manager, Fred Bradbury, said, “Customers started gravitating to our store and we grew…we were saddened to see our other two local hardware businesses close because they were local guys and part of our close community.”
Community is especially important to the team at Choptank Supply. “Our favorite thing about Choptank Supply is the variety of people from all walks of life coming in and communicating on a personal level with us,” Blough and Bradbury said. They allow the needs of their neighbors and customers to guide them, which is why they began offering services like delivery, equipment rentals, an on-site Stihl mechanic, window glass rescreening, key cutting, propane tank refills, and more. Blough and Bradbury added, “We also help customers with calculations on quantities of products they need for various projects.”
Outside of aiding customers on the business side, Choptank Supply supports various local causes, including but not limited to Denton Little League, North Caroline high school, Denton elementary school, Lockerman middle school, select Eagle Scout projects, Caroline Humane Society, Eastern Shore Land Conservatory, Ridgely Fire Department, Choptank River Yacht Club, Caroline County FFA, Preston Volunteer Fire Company, and Greensboro Fire Department.
The store has come a long way since opening day in 2004. They have grown from one employee into 16, have expanded their hours to be open seven days a week, and now offer things like paint, mulch, stone, and other products. “Our growth has always been based on our customer demands so we talk to customers and we listen and we start bringing in those products and services. It’s slow growth but it’s steady growth,” Blough and Bradbury said. Even so, their best seller continues to be their customer service: “I can’t say enough about the employees here and their desire to please our customers.”
Recent talks of a potential Tractor Supply store coming to Denton puts locally owned businesses like Choptank Supply at risk, “I think it would be fair to say no company wants to see any competition, especially when it’s a franchise or ‘Big Box’ store like Tractor Supply,” the Choptank representatives said. Either way, they’re going to continue doing what they do best, “keeping the wonderful residents of Denton, Caroline County and ironically all our friends from Easton, Kent Island, Centreville, Delaware and a few more distant areas satisfied…for us it’s customer service, that’s how Choptank Supply will continue to grow!”
