Beth DeCarbo
Freelance journalist & storyteller
Beth DeCarbo is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe.
Before that she was a full-time real-estate columnist for The Wall Street Journal, covering topics related to the financial aspects of owning a home. Previously she was features editor at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, deputy business editor at Newsday in New York and Sunday editor at the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times
She grew up in a small farm town in Kansas working for her parents, who owned competing hardware stores next door to each other on Main Street. At 18, she left home to earn a journalism degree at the University of Kansas. Today she lives in the mountains of western South Carolina with her husband, Chuck, their dog, Biscuit, and two cats, Jam and Butters.
At heart, she is a storyteller who likes to shed light on the human condition. In their spare time, she and her husband fearlessly tackle home improvement projects, a few of which turn out halfway decent.
To learn more about Beth, go to her website at www.CopyTK.com. For more background and insights on hardware and independent retailers, visit Beth’s blog at bethdecarbo.substack.com.
Mom & Pop Hardware,
A Kansas Girl's Quirky Childhood At My Folks' Competing Stores
In this page-turning memoir, DeCarbo shares stories from her childhood summers and after school, when as 10-year-old Bethy, a/k/a “Miss Nuisance,” she sold nuts and bolts at her dad’s bustling hardware store on Main Street in rural Kansas. That is, unless she was selling nuts and bolts at the hardware store right next door. It was owned by her dad’s biggest competitor: Bethy’s mother.
Located in McPherson, Kansas, the side-by-side hardware stores set the stage for an unconventional childhood. Bethy’s dad, Gene, could talk the hide off a cow and fix just about anything. Her mom, Betty, had a quiet strength that belied a tragic past.
The "cast of characters" include Bethy’s mischievous brother Ricky, her offbeat Aunt Tootsie, and her self-appointed wingman Authur. Even Doorknob the cat makes an appearance or two.
Bethy encounters personal challenges that test her character, her family, and her faith. Meanwhile, both hardware stores face economic challenges that make their long-term survival a longshot.
Through it all, the good people of McPherson demonstrate their support and resilience, but Bethy discovers that some outcomes are beyond her control.