Keith and Lisa Maxwell have carved their niche in the local power tool industry in more ways than one.
As owners of Maxwell’s Hardware & Power Equipment, they offer heavy-duty lawn care and outdoor equipment.
Keith and Lisa Maxwell have owned Maxwell's Hardware & Power Equipment for 20 years. They offer retail sales and a full service department for heavy-duty lawn care and outdoor power equipment, including mowers, chainsaws, blowers and trimmers.
They are one of six full-service dealerships in Greene County, with retail sales and service for product lines like Ariens, Dixon and Exmark. They are also as a master dealer for Husqvarna and the company sponsors Keith Maxwell’s hobby — carving with chainsaws.
His projects dot the hardware store and the Miami Valley, but his most visible masterpieces can be found throughout Beavercreek. He carved the prototype of a standing beaver, and models were painted and installed in numerous Beavercreek locations to mark the city’s 25th anniversary. A regular attraction at the annual Beavercreek Popcorn Festival, he also does demonstrations at summer festivals, schools and other venues.
“It’s nice to have a customer come in and say, ‘I’ve been told this is a place I need to come,’ ” Keith said.
The Maxwells have owned the dealership for 20 years, with the main part of the shop in a converted 100-year-old barn. When the business began, it carried basic hardware supplies, including electrical and plumbing items, with a specialty in lawn and garden supplies. The business evolved to focus on lawn and garden needs, with a sales floor full of heavy-duty, zero-turn riding mowers, walk-behind mowers and blowers, chainsaws and weed-cutting equipment.
Keith Maxwell said the store’s focus is to provide equipment that’s better than the big box stores. The service department performs work for the competition, he said. “We kind of evolved into taking care of them,” he said. “We service just about everything.”
The Maxwells share responsibilities, with Lisa overseeing the parts department. They draw customers from Piqua to Franklin, and the store stocks equipment from a handheld weed trimmer to a 35 horsepower, 72-inch-cut riding mower. The Maxwells offer also deals on used and refurbished equipment, though supplies are tight with most people opting for repairs instead of replacing gear.
“A lot of the good, old equipment is getting fixed,” Keith said. Many people who have had job losses have opened their own businesses, he added.
Maxwell’s Hardware & Power Equipment is located at 1187 N. Fairfield Road. For more information, call (937) 429-9830, or visit www.maxwell?hardware.com.
