Gill-Roy's Hardware Have Closed Both of Their Flint Locations

Corporate officials with the Flushing-based Gill-Roy's Hardware chain of stores say they have closed both of their Flint locations. They say the stores had been suffering from poor sales and deteriorating neighborhoods for more than a decade. "It's a move we have been trying to put off for a long time," said Jennifer Irish, office manager for Gill-Roy Hardware. "But the year-end numbers and the sales continued to decline every year since 1999." Irish said the stores were kept open for so long out of consideration of the employees and customers. "But sales were decreasing and losses were increasing," said Irish. "There were more and more abandoned homes in the area and it was not safe for employees." The two stores that closed were the building on Flushing Road near Ballenger and the building on Davison Road near Franklin. The Flushing Road store closed Jan. 28. The Davison Road store closed Feb. 11. Irish says they company does not intend to close any other locations. At this time, Irish says, there are no immediate expansion plans. The closure of the Flint locations leaves Gill-Roy Hardware with 24 stores across the state and one in Georgia. The remaining Michigan locations are in Burton, Flushing, Flint Township, Highland, Swartz Creek, Grand Blanc, Mundy Township, Davison, Clio, St. Johns, Durand, Port Huron, Mt. Pleasant, Bay City, Midland, Prudenville, Hamilton, Frankenmuth, Montrose, Ionia, Elk Rapids, Gaylord and Traverse City. Fifteen employees were affected by the closing of the two Flint stores. Irish says the company made a point of offering employees positions in the other locations. Gill-Roy's has been in business since 1945. It was started by Gilbert Morgan and Roy Trevarrow as a hardware store on Detroit Street (now M.L. King Ave.) in downtown Flint. Bob Morgan, the current owner, opened the Davison Road store as the second location in 1977. The Flushing Road store was the fourth store to be opened in December 1979. Source: mlive.com