Ararat family-owned business EW Bulte changes hands after 112 years

But the fourth-generation owner locked up for the last time on Thursday, March 28, before handing over the keys to new owner Niles Patel.

"Deciding to sell wasn't easy," said the fourth-generation owner, "But it was time. I want to do other things, and it seems right."

Mr Walker's first thought was to thank the customers loyal to the company for over 112 years since his great-grandfather Ernest William Bulte founded it as a building company in 1912 on the corner of Queen Street South and Tatyoon Road.

"The locals have been good to us over the years," he said.

I always wanted to join the company, but when I left school, there were no vacancies," he laughed.

"Dad thought I should work for someone else before joining the family business, and he was right. I learned what an employer expects from you," he said.

"My wife Karen and I took over in 2000 after I'd worked with Dad for 15 years.

EW Bulte has survived and thrived despite two world wars, a depression, the black plague, and Covid-19.

"Our customers' loyalty has kept us going, and we have been able to expand and improve," he said.

"During the pandemic, we were open as an essential business, and trade increased because people had time to renovate and make repairs," he said.

Introducing paint to the product line became a big part of the business.

During the nineties, especially when times were challenging due to high-interest rates, paint was a staple product that helped turnover.

"I'd only just learned how to mix paint in the long, laborious hand-mixed way when they introduced the new mixing machine," he joked.

A four-year stint in the bank in Melbourne before joining the company was a bonus managing the finances, and he loved that side of the business.

Initially, Mr Walker had a building career in his sights when he was at school, and owning the hardware store was a side of the building industry that fitted with that.

Some noticeable changes over the generations have been in how business is built.

"I go to the bank when I want to expand, but the generations before me would save up to develop or increase stock.

"The use of cash has also diminished, although quite a few of our customers still prefer cash," he said.

He said he doesn't think the introduction of mega-stores has impacted EW Bulte's business.

"Some of my customers came here as children with their parents, and that's what customer service can do for your business.

"I suppose you could say some of our customers are generational."

In his opinion, customer service is essential to any business.

"You could spend the same amount of time with a person who needed a washer for a tap as you could with a much bigger order, but they were all equally important."

EW Bulte employs four staff members, and he credits them as a significant part of the company's success.

"Without good staff, you can't do it," he said.

Mr Walker said he has a list of outside projects lined up at home, some travel booked, and he has already been assigned granddad duty, so he'll have plenty to do in the days ahead.

Mr Walker hoped that when selling the business, the new owner would carry on the family name and offer the same service he has.

The new owner, Mr Patel, wanted to purchase a family business, and EW Bulte fit that description.

He intends to maintain the same customer service, and the EW Bulte name will stay, too.

Mr Patel and his wife, Puri, own and operate a service station near Ballarat. He'll initially divide his time between the two businesses but hopes to eventually work full-time at the hardware store.

He will continue the opening hours of Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm, and Saturdays, 9 am to 12 noon.