About Us
Hardware on the Square in San Augustine is a family-oriented business. Joe and Buster Consford jumped into the hardware business in 2014. Buster had run a successful plumbing and electrical business in San Augustine for almost forty years. The hardware store came up for sale, and Joe and Buster decided that the hardware store would be a perfect new venture for them.
Buster is a master plumber, master electrician, and the inspector for the City of San Augustine. He has a wealth of knowledge and is especially talented at explaining how things should work. If you have a project that has stumped you, he is always willing to help you make a plan on how to tackle your project.
Buster’s wife Ginger was a schoolteacher for many years. She retired from teaching so that she could keep the books for Buster’s plumbing business. She just transitioned to the hardware store bookkeeping. Ginger is an invaluable part of our business, even though most people never know she is back in the office.
Joe and his wife Laura were Baptist missionaries for almost fifteen years in West Africa. Two of their three children were born in Africa. The years of living in civil-war-torn countries, the tropical diseases, and other medical issues made Joe decide to relocate back home to San Augustine. The hardware store was a perfect opportunity for him to be able to continue some of his ministry opportunities while supporting his family. Joe had lots of hands-on experience while living in Africa. He was involved in several building projects. One must quickly learn to improvise when living in remote areas with limited materials available. Learning the names for all of the tools in a different language is a chore in itself.
Joe and Buster bought the business begun by the former owner of the hardware store and have continued to make improvements by adding services and products while maintaining the hometown feel and amazing personal service for which the store was known. The Consfords love having a business in a small-town atmosphere. The building in which the San Augustine hardware store is located has been a store for over 100 years. It can be seen in old pictures of the town square. There was even a gunfight which took place in that building back in the day! There is so much history in our little town.
One of the first things the Consfords did was lower the prices on most items back to the manufacturer suggested prices. Even though the store is far away from any other store, the people in San Augustine deserve to be able to get the items they need at a fair price right in their own neighborhood.
After searching for a reliable hardware supplier, the Consfords spoke to Do It Best Corp. The relationship between Hardware on the Square and Do It Best has been perfect. Great products at a great price — it’s a win win.
The hardware store has really done well since they partnered with Do It Best. They have been the Texas Small Business of the year; the Chamber of Commerce awarded the hardware store with the Faith in the Community award; and most recently, Governor Greg Abbot awarded the hardware store for their response to the Covid virus.
Making the original coffee shop in San Augustine was a lot of fun. When they discovered the old Coca-Cola sign in the store, it was an even better project. The news came and did an interview. Joe’s children helped restore the sign and make it look great for the customers. People came from miles around to see the painting which had been hidden for almost 100 years.
In San Augustine over the years, all of the lumber yards have gone out of business. For a long time now, if you needed one board, you had to drive a long way just to get a single board. Not any more! San Augustine now has lumber! At Hardware on the Square, the only place to get lumber in San Augustine County, we have a good selection of convenience lumber. Having lumber in San Augustine is so nice. If you are working on a quick project or maybe you just need one board, come visit us! We will help you pick out just what you need to get the job done.
It is our goal to make going to the hardware store a great experience, like going to see your favorite neighbor. When you walk into our store, we want you to feel at home, a place the whole family can come and enjoy. Have a cup of coffee and just visit while we help you plan and prepare for your big project you are working on.
We are very community oriented. Joe and Buster are very involved in the volunteer fire department. Joe is the Assistant Pastor at Central Baptist Church in Center, Texas. Joe is also on the advisory board of the Main Street committee in San Augustine.
The great thing about our community is that we all know each other. Helping our neighbors do what needs to be done is our great pleasure.
We hope you come into the hardware store. To have you as our customer would be great, but to know you as our neighbor is even better! When you come in our door, we hope you feel right at home.