Hermansen’s Hardware and Impl
ement Company had its beginning as a planing mill in 1938. In 1941 a hardware store was built out of an old log granary, purchased for $175, that belonged to Lewis Dorius, grandfather of Lee Hermansen. Afrer a few years, Lee contracted to build homes, building new homes for Lawrence Hermansen, Vlifford Jorgensen, Glen Lee, Stanley Nielson, L.R. Bagnall and Don Thompson, all in Ephraim, and also new homes in Moroni and Mt. Pleasant, He did remodeling as well.
In 1959 the farm implements were added to the store. In 1962 the store was completely destroyed by fire, after which a new site was selected at 65 West Center and a larger, fire-proof building, the present store, was built.
The Hermansen’s store has been the dealer for Case machinery, Massey Ferguson, New-Holland, Western Auto, and now True Value.
As the business expanded the Hermansen’s sons, Monte and Morris became interested in the business Monte later went into his own excavating business, and Morris and Lee managed the business and later handed it over to Morris’s sons who witch manages thebusiness at the present time. Cameron Hermansen manages the equipment store at the south end of Ephraim, and Carl Hermansen manages the hardware still at the same location where it all started.
Through the years the store has had many names- Planing Mill, Hermansen Lumber, Hermansen Hardware and Implement CO, and True Value Hardware, and Hermansen’s Equiment.
