Handy Andy Home Improvement Centers was founded as Arrow Lumber Company by Joseph Rashkow in 1947 on the south side of Chicago. His son, Ronald Rashkow, bought out the single store operation in 1967 from his father. He converted the company to Handy Andy in 1971 with its first expansion unit.[1] The company grew to 72 stores in seven American states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Mississippi, Michigan, Tennessee, and Kentucky). At its peak, the company had approximately 11,000 employees and annual revenue of $750 million.[2] The chain advertised with the phrase "Handy Andy, you've got it made". The company's core product mix included hardware, lumber, building materials, home decor, kitchen/bath and lawn/garden. The stores were highly visible and well known for their very large vertical stripes of brown and white that would typically cover the entire building.
Acquisitions
In 1979, Handy Andy acquired four Republic Lumber store locations from Jewel Food Stores in the Chicago market.
In 1986, Handy Andy acquired six Mr. HOW stores from Nashville, Tennessee-based Service Merchandise in the Chicago area. The stores were later renamed.[3]