Gecko, now Rooster, re-brands and reopens at the northeast side of Northwest Highway and Ferndale
Gecko — with its live chickens, renowned rooster and locally made goodies — always was more fun than your typical hammers-and-nails hardware store.
Still it had a rough time staying afloat, as we reported in 2015. Now it has a new owner (Sharon Anderson, who owns Half Price Books) and new name (Rooster Home & Hardware, named for aforementioned rooster Prince George), and they are holding a neighborhood celebration Thursday from 6-9 p.m., free snacks and live music included.
Anderson bought the store instead of buying a sports car, she jokes to the Dallas Morning News’ Cheryl Hall, saying the purchase was symptomatic of her midlife crisis.
The piece details Anderson’s business experiences and personality as well as some of the logistics of the new venture:
“She renegotiated her agreement with True Value Co., the national cooperative of independent hardware stores. ‘We’ve completely restocked the perimeter of the store with a quarter-million dollars in brand new hardware. That was a condition for me taking over the co-op.’ She’s also wooing back skittish local vendors.”
As for former owner and founder Andrea Ridout, she will stay involved until the end of the year, to ease the transition, according to the article. After that she reportedly will concentrate on producing a podcast called Ask Andrea-The Radio Show.
Friday at 10 a.m. the Lake Highlands Chamber hosts a ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will launch a whole grand-opening weekend featuring special speakers and workshops.
Roosters grand opening
The store is located at 10233 E. Northwest Hwy.
