BURRILLVILLE – A small business owner who went out of his way to take care of patrons was recognized Wednesday for nearly four decades of service to the town of Burrillville.
The Burrillville Town Council adopted a proclamation celebrating the the retirement of Stephen King, who owned Lawrence Bros. Hardware on Chapel Street for the past 39 years.
King retired this month, selling the business to Gary and Kathy Rouleau.
The hardware store owner grew up in Old Town, Maine, and graduated from American Academy. After leaving his maritime career, King moved to Glocester with his wife Gail and purchased the Burrillville store.
According to a proclamation read by Town Council President John Pacheco, King helped many charitable organizations over the years, including selling American flags as a service to the American Legion Post 88 and area veterans.
When a customer wasn’t sure what they needed, King would sometimes lend them tools, or even let them take several and return the ones they didn’t need on the honor system.
“He often went out of his way to help his patrons,” said Pacheco. “He would also take special care of our elderly residents by offering to help them with small projects free of charge.”
“Stephen believed in the mom and pop atmosphere as a small business owner,” said Pacheco.
In recognizing his retirement, the council honored and commended King “for his many years of dedication, commitment and service to the Burrillville community as a small business owner.”
The business at 120 Chapel St. recognized the retirement of its longtime owner with a celebration Saturday, Aug. 17.
