Some Gunflint Outfitters History...

Pantry — Part 3

Back during that first winter I soon learned that other types of pantries were just as important. Our workshop was an old free standing building with no heat. In it Bruce had filled every nook and cranny. This was his hardware store when something was broken. Some of the supplies were leftovers from earlier projects while others had been purchased just to be spares. There were old coffee cans filled with every size and type of nail or screw or washer. Hanging from the rafters were spare elements for hot water heaters. Rolled up in corners were spare lengths of various kinds of wire. Eventually all of these things were transferred to a workshop in the basement of our house.

One of Bruce’s most useful discoveries was a company that sold assortments of screws, nails, washers, etc. Each assortment came in a little container with small drawers. The drawers were labeled so you could order refills as you needed them.

The assortment of rubber washers seemed to be the handiest. Leaky faucets were a specialty at Gunflint. Trying to remember to buy a rubber washer on the next trip to town was always difficult. Finding the correct size on the first try was impossible. But Bruce could take his set of 12 sizes and almost always get the job done in one trip.

About 5 or 6 years ago the hardware shop in our basement expanded to a full size workshop. In it there is an electrical room, a plumbing room, and a paint room. With lots more room Bruce found the perfect way to fill in our need for supplies. A hardware store went out of business and held an auction. Bruce bought whole assortments of nails, screws, paints, etc. At the end of the auction, he made an offer on everything that was left. All those little packages of screws, nuts, washers, hooks, and eyes are now on the shelves of the workshop. Virtually every day someone is looking for the perfect size item for his project.