Community Fixture

Pierce Decorative Hardware and Plumbing was one of Snider Plaza’s first tenants in 1937 and remained in the Park Cities shopping enclave across from SMU for 78 years. But in late July, the modestly sized store will relocate to a massive 5,000-square-foot showroom across from Love Field. After many years of consideration, CEO Mike McKenzie chose the spot on West Mockingbird Lane for its proximity to the Park Cities, a neighborhood that has been the mainstay for the home fixtures and cabinet retailer ever since it opened. The new space quadruples the amount of area for working models of showers, sinks, tubs and kitchen sinks, allowing customers to try out high-price-tag products such as THG, Wetstyle, Rocky Mountain, Grohe, Dornbracht, Victoria and Albert, Jorger from Rohl, Classic Brass and Bain Ultra before committing. “Consumers today get a lot of information off the Internet, but they can’t experience products like they can in a showroom,” says McKenzie, who has been at the helm of the employee-owned company since 1986. “A lot of products — like a steam shower, or full home water filtration system — are things people can’t make a decision about just by seeing online.” For decades, Pierce Hardware identified with the more traditional look favored by the Park Cities, but now the company has bridged the gap with a transitional-style and embraces contemporary collections. “People are asking for things they used to complain about before, such as un-lacquered brass hardware that acquires a patina,” he says with a laugh. Change can be unsettling, so it’s reassuring to see longtime employees such as Jim Caskey, who has been with the company for 50 years, along with other employees who’ve been there for 30 years and more. “They’re the same people who did your house and your lake house, and now they will do your new house, when you’re ready,” assures McKenzie. 2615 W. Mockingbird Lane, 214.368.2851.