When a "big box" hardware and home improvement store opened in northern Houston, only three and a half miles from Martin Hardware, local residents shook their heads and forecast the old store's closure. After all, how could a 67-year-old hardware in an old converted barn compete in pricing and advertising against such a Goliath?

But something funny happened on the way to the pity party: Martin Hardware defied the gloomy forecasts. In a short (1,500 word) magazine article, here's how they did it.