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From start to finish.

Cardinal Hardware was built out from an empty retail shell at 104 S Laurel Street in Summit, Mississippi. Construction started in October 2025 — by April 2026 the doors were open. Documented chapter by chapter, demolition through opening day.

01 / Demolition

Demolition.

Drop ceiling pulled. Wall paneling removed. Existing electrical and HVAC stripped back to the building shell to clear the way for a clean rebuild.

Demo phase — exposed wiring hangs from the ceiling grid, ductwork rolled on the floor, ceiling tiles stacked on a cart
Demo phase — exposed structural posts (one painted black, one wood) with wiring everywhere and a ladder mid-room Demo phase — interior framing exposed, walls being opened up, ladder and trash cans in view
02 / CLEARED OUT
02 / Cleared Out

Down to the bare floor.

With demo work underway, the floor was cleared out for the rebuild — drop ceiling above, dated finishes still in place, and a leftover STIHL pegboard from the previous tenant marking the back wall.

Cleared-out retail interior with drop ceiling, dirty floor, and a leftover STIHL pegboard sign on the back wall during the early build-out
03 / FRAMING
03 / Framing

Framing and ceiling.

New plywood walls installed throughout the sales floor. LED strip lighting and exposed black ductwork run overhead. Black ceiling sealed and painted.

Mid-construction — fresh plywood walls throughout, modern LED strip lighting, polished concrete floor, table saw set up in the middle of the room Mid-construction — black ceiling, exposed black ductwork being run, plywood walls in place with cutouts for the future service counter
04 / EXTERIOR
04 / Exterior

Exterior work.

Exterior buildout spanned two seasons, winter through summer. Covered porch finished, gravel parking lot graded, landscaping established. Signage installed last.

Exterior in winter — bare trees, the open covered porch, green-trimmed roof, no signage yet Exterior in summer — bright blue sky, flowers blooming in front, the open porch and gravel parking ready, still no signage
05 / FINISHES
05 / Finishes

Interior finishes.

Pine plank feature wall installed along the storefront elevation. Square windows fitted to pull in south light. Concrete floor polished and sealed in gray.

Late-construction interior — natural pine plank wall, multiple square windows, polished and sealed concrete floor, black ceiling with black ductwork
06 / FIXTURES
06 / Fixtures

Fixtures and counter.

White pegboard fixtures assembled and positioned throughout the sales floor. Service counter built with butcher block tops, gray cabinetry, and an integrated key-cutting station.

Fixtures phase — white walls painted, gray-stained concrete floor, first counter unit being assembled Fixtures phase — white pegboard shelving units being assembled and put in place mid-floor Counter under construction — gray cabinet base, butcher block tops, white pegboard panels below the counter, key-cutting machine visible on the right Counter finished — butcher block top in place, gray cabinet, Milwaukee M12 Fuel boxes stacked in the foreground waiting to be merchandised
07 / INVENTORY
07 / Inventory

Stocking inventory.

Inventory delivered by the pallet. Plumbing merchandised first, followed by electrical, power tools, hand tools, outdoor cooking, and seasonal.

Stocking phase — stacks of cardboard boxes, white pegboard shelving units, brooms and yard tools propped against the wall Stocking phase — store aisles filling up, lawn tools (rakes and brooms) hanging on the wall in the green-handled section Stocking phase — Milwaukee Packout tool boxes stacked, gloves and yellow safety items on display, hand tools in the background Stocking phase — American flag MP2 Gear coolers staged near a giant aluminum stockpot Stocking phase — plumbing aisle fully merchandised with toilet plungers, plumbing tools, and packaged blue items
08 / OPEN
08 / Open

Open for business.

Cardinal Hardware opened on S Laurel Street. The illuminated CARDINAL HARDWARE letters and HARDWARE ENTRANCE marquee finished the storefront. Open Mon–Fri 7–6, Sat 8–2.

Cardinal Hardware storefront at dusk with the lit-up CARDINAL HARDWARE letters glowing red HARDWARE ENTRANCE sign lit up red over the glass entrance doors at dusk