By: Jennifer Dearborn
From diapered ceilings, moonshine, car crashes, ramp soup, and a pink forklift the lifetime employees of Adkins Home Center share some of their favorite moments over their span of fifty years in business.
On October 1, 1971 Renick (Ren) and Betty Adkins opened Parsons Hardware in the city of Parsons. In 1977 the name was officially changed to Adkins Home Center. The couple still plays an active role in the day to day business. Ren goes into the store and works a couple hours a day in the mornings. Betty takes care of the financial side and taxes.
Mike and Brian Adkins, the couple’s children, also work in the store. Brian’s daughter, Samantha Dellicker, also works at the store. That is a total of three generations at any given time in the store. Mike and Brian started out sweeping floors and putting wheelbarrows together, not long after they started walking.
When the business first started Ren worked full time for the phone company so Betty depended on the help from their children to keep the store up and running efficiently. Another employee, Karen Hockman, has been greeting and helping customers for forty-five years.
Brian Adkins, who works the store daily, said one of his favorite and most bizarre stories would have to be the diaper story. A customer came in to buy heavy duty staples. He had a leaky roof and was going to fix it by stapling adult diapers to his ceiling to hold the water in. About a week later the same man returned to buy materials to repair the roof. He came in once again to let them know the roofing materials they sold him did not work. “He still had the diapers stapled to his ceiling and water was coming out of them” Brian said through the laughs.
West Virginia is known for its moonshine. Ren would give a local gentleman money in a culvert and one week to the day after paying he would go collect his moonshine from that same ditch culvert. “It took me thirty years to figure out who was actually making the moonshine, but now I know,” said Ren. Although he wouldn’t elaborate on his source.
Over the years, employees have witnessed a power company truck crash right in front of the store, along with motel fist fights over tangled love affairs across the street.
Karen also had a trademark forklift for several years. It was painted all pink and “Karen Jo” was painted on the side of it. Karen was introduced to ramp soup from a customer years ago. The customer would bring the soup in every time he made it. “By the time the years passed I had the recipe for the ramp soup and I would make it for him when he was no longer able to do it himself.”
Behind the original store building is now Southern States. Mike Adkins runs this feed and supply store alongside his family. This was added to the business thirty years ago.
When asked of future plans for the store they all say one day at a time and they will work as long as they can. Ren says he gives all his thanks to the man above. 
