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* Major players: Kenneth Collis, president; Diane Collis, co-owner
* What is your business, and is it family-owned? The Collis family started Collis True Value Hardware three decades ago, says Kenneth Collis, the 52-year-old downtown Herkimer hardware-store president. He co-owns the company with his wife, Diane Collis. Their family, which includes their son Matt and daughter Sarah, is from East Herkimer.
* What's kept you doing this for so many years? Collis says he "loves being around to help people fix ... problems."
* Why is Collis True Value Hardware such a draw downtown? Much like Sangertown Square is anchored by Target, Kaufmann's, and J.C. Penney's, downtown Herkimer is anchored by a hardware store, says Katherine Nichols, one of five trustees who sit on the Village Board. She says that Collis True Value Hardware has been around for only about three decades, but its reputation as downtown's core merchant belies that. She says the hardware store is what's helping to keep North Main Street competitive against Wal-Mart on the west end of town. "They have a wonderful sense of business," she says. "They keep everything personal."
* What's one of your biggest concerns as a downtown...