New look brightens sales picture. (Lee's Our Own Hardware)

Owner Lee Boehm of Lee's Our Own Hardware in Marathon, WI, remodeled the hardware store to rejuvenate business. Boehm decided to change the store's design and widen its space after noticing that sales were continuously declining. A survey of the store's customers showed that they attributed the decline to the slow economy. Boehm pushed with his plans despite this result and was awarded for his efforts when sales started picking up immediately after the store was reopened for business.

Lee's Our Own Hardware in Marathon, Wis., faced quite a dilemma last year. Sales had dropped every