DIXFIELD — Towle’s Hardware and Lumber Store was honored for 100 years of service with a special ceremony on Monday

The tribute to Towle’s 100th anniversary included an open house, which commences a week-long celebration of activities at the store, and a tribute plaque presentation by local, state and national officials.

The ceremony had a strong feeling of history with four generations of Towles present and a Towle-owned 1929 Ford AA pickup truck, which served as a backdrop for the ceremony.

“Today we celebrate your dedication, hard work and commitment to the community,” read Eugene Skibitski, Dixfield town manager from a plaque donated by the town’s selectmen and people of Dixfield to longtime store owners Butch and Donna Towle. “Thank you for being a large part of the town’s success.”

The  town’s plaque presentation to the Towles was followed by an anniversary plaque delivered to the Towles from Mary Turner, a True Value Hardware Store retail consultant for northern and western Maine. 

“Towle’s is all about customer service and finding solutions for people’s hardware needs,” Turner said. “If Towle’s doesn’t have it, Butch and his staff make sure the customer has it usually by the next day.”

An honorary flag, from U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, was presented by Snowe’s Regional Representative Diane Jackson. 

“On this special day, it is with profound pleasure, I present to you this United States flag which has flown over our nation’s capitol in recognition of Towle’s Hardware and Lumber Store’s 100th Anniversary.”

During the ceremony, Towle’s remained open for business with its staff busily attending to customers’ needs. 

“This is the greatest job I have ever had,” Ed Ellis, a Towle’s employee of 41 years, said. “We are all about service.”

Ed recounted many times when he had stopped on his drive home from work to help customers, free of charge, change the batteries of their smoke detectors, replace sink faucet washers among many other requests through the years.

Bruce and Donna smiled broadly Monday morning while surveying the crowd that had come to celebrate their store’s birthday.

“There’s a lot of work behind making this store successful,” Butch Towle said, “and much of the credit goes to my family that understands what is needed to be done. “

“You have to care about what you do,” Butch said, “and the people you serve.”

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