Hardlines Strategies

CUSTOMER PROFILE

Building Success Together Blish-Mize Helps Support Expansion While Preserving Core Values

Star Home Center’s annual Customer Appreciation Event celebrates the customers, vendors and community that support the business.

F or AJ Hughes, owner of Star Home Center, a hardware and home improvement store in Middlebury, Indiana, building strong partnerships has always been an important part of running a successful independent business.

Since partnering with Blish-Mize in 2019, Hughes says the relationship has helped his store strengthen inventory levels, expand key product categories and continue serving customers without interruption. “We felt like Blish-Mize was closely aligned with our values,” Hughes says. “They’ve been a valued partner, and we’ve grown our business significantly since we started working together.” The relationship began when Star Home Center was looking to add another supplier to complement its existing operations. Hughes says Blish-Mize quickly stepped in and made the transition seamless,

helping the store continue meeting customer demand while maintaining strong product availability. “They were willing to work alongside our existing partners and focus on helping us succeed,” Hughes says. “That flexibility made a big difference.” Over the years, Hughes’ partnership has supported growth across several departments, including an expansion of the store’s Diablo assortment, which increased to 36 linear feet of merchandise. Hughes says dependable inventory support from Blish-Mize helped make the category expansion possible.

32 Fall 2026 • Hardlines Strategies

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8/4/26 9:10 AM