Something handy…
Bill Ploskina was recently married and looking to get out of corporate engineering when, 40 years ago, he decided to buy John Read’s Dewey Hardware store and rename it Bill’s Tru Value. All these years later, you can still find Bill in his namesake shop three days a week, where his son, Mark, now runs the show, selling a wide variety of your standard homeowner essentials (lightbulbs, furnace filters, extension cords, nuts and bolts) alongside seasonal favorites like Christmas lights, pre-lit trees and timers. To celebrate, the store is planning to host a larger-than-usual cookout in the spring – it hosts monthly cookouts already, but this one will likely be bigger and held in the store’s parking lot – but that’s not the only thing on the radar. They plan to be open normal hours during Thanksgiving week, and looking ahead to next year, are hoping to expand their grilling line to include outdoor pizza ovens and fire pits – propane, charcoal, seasonings and sauces are already in stock – plus carry more home goods and housewares. // 2213 N. Buchanan St., Arlington (near the corner of Lee Highway and Glebe Road)