A time for change at Fourmens

More than 20 years ago, Tom Hofmann came to Medford with the goal of getting out of the big city and wanting a new challenge for himself and his family.

Now as he is looking ahead toward retirement and spending more time with his family and doing his own lawn and garden projects, Hofmann credits the business’s growth with the loyalty and commitment of the customers and community as well as the high quality of their staff members.

In January 2001, Hofmann formally took over what is now Fourmens Farm Home in Medford.

“When we bought the business 22 years ago, we recognized Medford Farm and Home was ready for growth and expansion,” Hofmann said “We have grown the business quite a bit,” he said of the expansions over the years that have added new product lines, new staff and stores in Colby and Loyal.

“We did what was within our means to do,” Hofmann said. “It has been a good run for me.” Hofmann noted that he was in his 40s when they came to Medford and took over the store here See FOURMENs on page 4 and is now in his mid to late 60s. “It is time to get new blood involved,” he said.

“It has been a good place, the customers have been very loyal and have backed the business quite well,” he said.

The local hardware and garden supply stores in Medford, Colby and Loyal were purchased by Bolster Hardware based out of Dallas, Texas. The sale was finalized in November with Hofmann staying on board through the end of the year to help with the transition.

He explained that with an eye toward the future and hopes to retire, they had connected with Bolster through a broker and the more they learned about the company the more confident he felt that they would be a good fit to carry on what he has worked to build in Medford.

“They are very family oriented, very small community oriented,” Hofmann said. “They are a really good fit for communities like this,” he said.

Hofmann explained that the company had over 200 restaurants in their business portfolio prior to the pandemic located throughout the southern United States. Other businesses included rental centers and even a sports franchise professional soccer team.

During the pandemic, the company saw their restaurants struggling and the company looked for options to diversify the company into ones that were more essential type businesses. Hardware stores were deemed an essential business and were able to remain open through the pandemic shutdowns that occurred around the country. He said the company has been seeking to acquire stores and that prior to purchasing the ones in Medford, Colby and Loyal they owned more than 20 stores primarily in Tennessee and Kentucky with additional stores in Georgia and Virginia.

“These are their first three stores in Wisconsin,” Hofmann said, noting the company has on their radar looking to purchase more stores in the midwest including Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa.

Despite being national in size, Hofmann said the company maintains a small-town focus specifically looking at stores in smaller communities.

He said the transition has been a smooth one, so far, as they have been able to continue working with the suppliers and vendors they have worked with in the past. He said looking ahead, the company has goals for expansion and remodeling, something he said will be easier for a larger company to handle. He explained that having a bigger company is also beneficial for the consumers when it comes to the ability of the store to get good prices from their suppliers and to pass those savings onto consumers.

Of key concern for the new owners, Hofmann said, was being able to retain all their employees. “They are very behind promoting from within,” he said, noting they don’t want to bring in a lot of outsiders into established community stores.

He said they like to look at the local marketplace and tap talent that is here rather than bring people from outside the community in.

“Everybody who works here, lives in the community,” he said.

From the consumer side, Hofmann said it has been very much business as usual. “We haven’t lost any employees in the changeover,” he said.

He noted that whenever there is change, people don’t know what to expect, but so far this has been a smooth one for staff and customers. “We have retained all our vendors, we will still offer a greenhouse and still sell Christmas Trees and wreaths for the Boys Scouts,” he said.

He said the new ownership is very much community- oriented and community driven. “I think it will be a good switch for the community,” he said.

Hofmann explained that one of the things that attracted them to the new owners was that decisions would still be made at a local level as far as what things to offer in the store and support of organizations. “We try to support local vendors,” he said, explaining they get products produced in places like Marshfield, Green Bay and Rhinelander supporting these smaller producers.

One recent addition that will continue and grow in the future is offering the sale of furniture. Hofmann said that with the retirement of the local Ashley Furniture retailers for the area, they saw a need to offer furniture in Medford. He explained they were able to get the Wisconsin-made furniture line. He said he expects to see those product lines continue to grow.

Looking forward, Hofmann said he is ready to enter a different stage of life.

“I don’t plan on leaving town,” he said, noting that he has family in the area now. What he is looking forward to is having time to himself and to enjoy his grandchildren.

Hofmann said he has always enjoyed working in his yard, and looks forward to doing the landscaping projects and even mowing his yard. He explained that his business spikes in springtime and early summer meant that typically he would be getting to his own spring projects in late July and August. He said he looked forward to getting them done a lot sooner in the season.

With any transition there is also mixed emotion. “I put my heart and soul into this business for 22 years,” Hofmann said.

“There were a lot of 12, 15 and 16 hour days,” he said, especially early on in running the store. He said during the pandemic things were hectic with shipments being delayed and sometimes arriving late into the night and on Saturdays and Sundays. “We were glad to get product,” he said.

Hofmann expressed his gratitude to the loyalty of the customers and to the community that has helped support their store, their employees’ families and to expand and grow in the community.

“Change is hard for people,” he said. Hofmann remains positive moving forward and said the smalltownfocused philosophy of the new owners will bring a win-win situation to the Medford community.