In the Late 1940s, Peter Penner, owner of a small Virgil farm, decided the town was in need of a lumberyard. He divided up his farm, sectioning off land for the lumberyard, and opened Penner's Lumber. Soon the business grew, and a hardware store was added carrying necessities for many Virgil residents. Peter Penner soon realized the value of his operation, gave up farming, and devoted himself to the lumber and hardware business.
In 1964, the Penners raised the Home Hardware sign to the front of the store, officially joining the co-operative hardware and building material chain owned by over 1000 independent member stores.
Over the years, Penner Home Hardware has grown significantly - from the 2 acres originally laid out by Peter Penner, to over 13 acres today. What was once a small hardware shop has grown to a large retail store filled with hardware, tools, lighting, plumbing, electrical and barbecues. A massive drive-through warehouse and lumberyard was built behind the store to help serve large building projects.The warehouse holds a wide variety of professional-quality tools available to rent. We built our bulk yard to give landscapers and DIY-ers easy access to bulk garden, lawn and contruction supplies
Despite its long history, the store has remained a family operation. Ownership has been passed, first from Peter to son Harry and wife Marlene, then from Harry Penner to son Kevin and his wife Marcia.
Today, Kevin and Marcia Penner work hard to ensure Niagara-On-The-Lake's homeowners and contractors can get the hardware and building materials they require, in a customer-friendly shopping environment.