Our History
The VanHook Hardware Company is housed in a building that has been a hardware store since 1903. Before that it was used for whiskey storage and for two years as a grocery store operated by Mattox and Kendall.
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In 1903 Fred Jenkins and G.H. Watts opened a hardware store here. Two years later Fred Jenkins bought the Watts interest; In March 1908 Rolla VanHook and Elbert Smith bought out Fred Jenkins' interest; in July of the same year, after the death of Mr. Jenkins Mr. VanHook bought the Smith interest and operated the store under the name VanHook and Son, after having joined his father in the business.
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in 1918, when Edgar went to war, Mr. Will Jenkins and Taylor Cason each bought a third interest and from then until now the store has operated under the name VanHook Hardware Company. In 1925 Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Cason bought the VanHook interest; in 1947 Mr. Cason bought the Jenkins interest. Mr. Cason actively connected with the store until 1950, when because of ill health he turned it over to his son Taylor Cason, Jr
It is interested to note that Mr. Cason came to the store as a clerk in 1906 on a salary of $5.00 a week and "board yourself"; six months later his salary was raised to $1.00 a day.
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Now, VanHook Hardware Company is owned and operated by Taylor Cason, Jr.'s daughter, Taylena Cason Burgan. She began working full-time at the store in 1982 and took over after her father's passing. She and her husband Kent manage and work at the hardware store together, successfully carrying on a family tradition and providing service and goods to the Cynthiana region.
Taylena Cason Burgan (daughter of Taylor Cason Burgan Jr.) now owns and operates VanHook Hardware with her husband Kent Burgan. They have also added an entrance to the neighboring property and opened Tay's Cloth Peddler in 2007.
While much has changed in our store over the years, there is a definite sense of nostalgia that shoppers and vistors experience when they visit VanHook Hardware.​