When Robert Sullivan opened a 2,000 square foot hardware store on East Washington Street in 1954, Keystone Avenue dead ended at 86th Street. There was no bridge over the White River. The north side of Indianapolis looked nothing like it does today.
Seven decades later, Sullivan Hardware and Garden has become one of Indiana's most beloved family businesses, spanning four locations and drawing visitors from across the country for events like the Sullivan Express holiday train experience.
On a recent episode of the Get IN. Podcast, Pat Sullivan, who took over the business from his father in 1989, shared how creativity, community, and a willingness to try new things helped him compete against big box retailers and e-commerce giants.
From 2,000 Square Feet to a Retail Destination
The Sullivan family moved to the 71st and Keystone location in 1963, renting space from the Knights of Columbus for $300 a month. At the time, there was nothing up there. No restaurants, no development. Just a small hardware store and a lot of potential.
When regional chain Central Hardware opened a 60,000 square foot store nearby in the 1970s, the competition seemed intimidating. Representatives even stopped by to ask if there was anything they could do for the Sullivans, assuming the small shop was finished.
Pat's father had a different perspective. "He said, 'Well, we could just live on the scraps,'" Pat recalled. Central Hardware eventually went bankrupt. Sullivan's kept growing.
Picking Your Battles: The Five Things Strategy
By the early 2000s, Lowe's had opened multiple locations around Indianapolis. Pat realized he couldn't compete on everything. Hardware stores were getting squeezed into handling "the problems" while big box stores took the profitable bulk sales like paint and light bulbs.
So he picked five categories to dominate: lawn and garden, patio furniture, artificial Christmas trees, grills, and fireplaces. He went all in.
"When we decided we wanted to be the leader in artificial Christmas trees, everybody had 20," Pat explained. "We came right out of the box with 70."
Today, Sullivan's has over 125 artificial trees on display, the largest selection in Indiana. And yes, fireplaces didn't work out. The showroom got too hot, and one customer burned his hand on the metal. Sometimes the experiments fail. You keep swinging.
Getting People Off the Couch
The real turning point came when Pat started thinking about how to get people out of their pajamas. The internet was making it easier than ever to shop from home. What could a hardware store offer that Amazon couldn't?
The answer was experiences.
It started with Turkey Fest, born from a chance encounter at a Bishop Chatard football game. A guy sitting behind Pat was talking about cooking turkey in a trash can. Pat invited him on his WIBC radio show, and the event moved to the store when the radio station relocated downtown in 1998.
"We called it Turkeyfest," Pat said. "And to this day, that is one of our most popular events."
Then came Eggfest, celebrating the Big Green Egg grill. Pat was initially hesitant to charge admission, but he learned that a $15 ticket actually elevated the experience in customers' minds. "If we say something is worth $50, they'll go, 'Hey, if he says it's 50 bucks worth, we're gone.'"
The Sullivan Express: A Christmas Tradition
The biggest swing came in 2015 with the Sullivan Express, a holiday train experience inspired by the old train rides at L.S. Ayres department store.
Pat invested $56,000 in the first train, not knowing if anyone would show up. The very first hour tickets went on sale, they sold 18. He was thrilled.
"I didn't know if anyone would come to this thing," he admitted.
Fast forward to today, and the Sullivan Express sells around 5,000 tickets in the first hour. The operation has grown to eight trains (each costing around $110,000), a team that sets up and stores over 1,000 Christmas trees for customers, and a holiday wonderland that transforms the Keystone location every November.
There's also Sully's Grill, a full service restaurant inside the hardware store. Because of course there is.
32 Years on the Radio
Part of Sullivan's success comes from Pat's long running Home and Garden Show on WIBC 93.1 FM, which he's hosted since 1993.
He almost turned down the job. "I told them no. Saturday is my busy day. I can't be away from the store."
But he eventually gave in, and the show became a marketing engine disguised as entertainment. Instead of pitching products, Pat just answered questions. Listeners came to trust him, and many became customers.
"Our listeners aren't stupid," he said. "If your expertise is crawl space repair, talk about crawl space. You don't have to say, 'You need to call the best in the business.' Just talk. People aren't stupid."
Part of Something Bigger
Sullivan Hardware is a member of Do It Best, a Fort Wayne based cooperative that provides buying power and support to independent hardware stores across the country. In November 2024, Do It Best acquired True Value out of bankruptcy, creating a network of over 5,000 stores.
"The co-op looks like, you know, you're there, they provide a lot of services, a lot of support, but it also provides you have the buying power of a $6 billion company," Pat explained.
It's how the little guy competes with the big guys.
A Hoosiers Connection
Here's a fun fact that ties it all together. Bobby Plump, the real life inspiration behind the movie Hoosiers and the man who hit the shot that won Milan High School the 1954 state championship, has been a Sullivan Hardware customer since the 1970s.
And in the 1980s, a Sullivan's employee named Maris Valainis was cast to play Bobby Plump in the film. He was discovered playing pickup basketball at St. Luke's.
"So the hardware store that Bobby Plump went to, one of the clerks ended up playing him in the movie," Pat said.
For more on the making of Hoosiers, check out our podcast episode with writer Angelo Pizzo.
Four Locations, One Philosophy
Sullivan Hardware now has four locations across central Indiana, each a little different:
Keystone (6955 N. Keystone Ave.): The flagship store with hardware, the Sullivan Express, Sully's Grill, and the holiday wonderland
Allisonville: Nursery focused, home of Pumpkin Town in the fall
49th and Penn: A neighborhood favorite with strong lawn and garden and hardware sales
Cicero: Hardware focused
When asked what he hopes people say about Sullivan's 70 years from now, Pat's answer was simple.
"It went from being an obligation to support a small business to we had so much fun there. It was always great to go to Sullivan's."
That's the whole point. Don't just ask people to shop local because it's the right thing to do. Give them a reason to keep coming back.