A living portrait of the American dream was on display Tuesday evening at Marshalltown’s historic Mowry Irvine Mansion.

Dave Thompson, co-owner and co-operator of the local Thompson True Value hardware store, presented a comprehensive tutorial on how his family — Dave, his wife Kathy and their son Paul — has made the American dream work.

Additionally, it was a lesson in resilience. The audience were area residents present for the monthly “History on Second Tuesday” event sponsored by the Historical Society of Marshall County.

The Thompson True Value story started 40 years ago in February 1986 when the couple, who hailed from Eau Claire, Wis., purchased Titus Hardware at 109 S. Center St.

“We had looked at 22 other hardware stores for sale and believed the Titus store and Marshalltown gave us the best chance for success,” Thompson said. “We wanted a store in a county seat. And beginning with Abbott Hardware in 1860, Marshalltown has had continuous operation since of a hardware albeit under different owners. We proudly continue that legacy. And we believed in Marshalltown then. Although a lot has changed, we still believe strongly in the community.”

The store offers equipment repair, electrical and plumbing hardware, paint, custom paint-tinting, tools and equipment rental service.

“We are a factory-direct vendor for Ariens Snow Blowers, Echo products and Weber Grills,” said Thompson.

Personalized service is a store credo. Customers are greeted sincerely and waited on efficiently.

“We have had many, many residents start out as customers and who have become friends,” Thompson said.

The statement was not puffery or bluster. He knew many of the Tuesday event’s attendees by their first names and had knowledge of their recent or past purchases.

Nor is “family-owned” embellished by the family. Son Paul, 36, who was born in Marshalltown and started working at the store when he became of age, is now the majority owner. And Kathy has been by Dave’s side at the business for 40 years and is a valued partner.

“Paul’s personality is a combination of mine and Kathy’s, ” Thompson said. “He takes pride in managing our paint department. And he has helped steer us into and through the digital age of doing business.”

Thompson singled out the business’s many employees, including the now retired Dean Ferrin and the late Jeff Quam.

“All have been instrumental in our success,” he said.

Thompson told attendees of several pivotal moments impacting the business. One is when he and Kathy purchased the building and lot at 109 S. Center St. from a Phoenix, Ariz. based businessman who had lived and worked in Marshalltown for a time.

“Having control over the building, also known as the former Smitty’s Grocery Store, and real estate was a major step forward,” Thompson said. “We were able to knock out a wall in the building and expand.”

A second pivotal moment was in 2018 when the family opened a new, significantly larger and more energy-efficient store at its current location, 106 S. Center St. — directly across the street from the old store.

The move was initiated by a one-two punch that knocked the Thompson’s back but not out.

The first punch was in early 2018 when an unusually heavy wet snow fall coupled with gale-force winds broke two wooden roof trusses. Over time, that led to additional interior damage to the walls and more. For safety reasons, the business then had to limit customer access to a front counter only. Orders were taken and the Thompsons and employees then retrieved the items desired, frequently taking them out to customer’s cars.

Thompson said significant stress was imposed when their insurance carrier initially did not want to honor their claim for damages.

“The insurance company alleged we had not taken care of the building, which was false,” Thompson said. “After further reviews, they accepted the claim. The second punch, the devastating 2018 tornado, did more damage. As a result, we built the new store in nine months. We used local contractors except for the sprinkler system because there was not a sprinkler system contractor in Marshalltown. It is four times as large and extremely energy efficient.”

Thompson’s presentation was informal but extremely informative, according to attendees.

“This (Thompson’s) was one of the best “History on Second Tuesday” events I have attended,” said Bill Wilson of Marshalltown, a regular attendee.

Others praised Thompson’s presentation too. Thompson True Value business hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday is noon to 5 p.m. Contact 641-753-6647 or visit their Facebook page for more information.