Jim Naughton, owner of Zimmerman True Value Hardware, says he does not plan to change the store’s signage his family has had since 1964 in downtown Pendleton after True Value Co. announced Oct. 14 it filed for bankruptcy protection and is aiming to sell its business to rival Do it Best.

PENDLETON — Hardware wholesaler True Value Co. announced Oct. 14 that it has filed for bankruptcy protection and is aiming to sell its business to home improvement rival Do it Best, but Northeastern Oregon True Value retailers say the change will have no negative impact on their businesses.

According to the company press release, the 75-year-old hardware brand, with headquarters in Chicago, will continue its day-to-day operations serving 4,500 independently owned retailers while True Value Co. undergoes Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

Reuters reported, the day of the announcement, that Do it Best agreed to pay $153 million in cash, take on about $45 million in contracts and other obligations, and hire some True Value employees.

True Value affiliates in Northeastern Oregon appear to be taking the news in stride.

Zimmerman True Value Hardware at 348 S. Main St. in downtown Pendleton has worked with and had the company name since 1964.

“We were a co-op,” owner Jim Naughton said. “I really like that model because we have a little better control. We’re going to have the option of either joining and being part of the Do it Best co-op or just buying as individuals. I think I’ll probably join the co-op. I like the model. I always have.”

Naughton said a new supplier will benefit his store in many ways, including a broader selection of material.

Although the company is selling, Naughton said he has no plans to change the store signage under the new outfit.

“I don’t see any changes,” he said. “Our company has been in the same family and business in Pendleton since 1939. I expect to be here a while longer. It’s a family business started by my grandfather.”

John Day Hardware at 161 E. Main St. already made the transition away from True Value, having affiliated with the Do it Best co-op in February.

John Day Hardware manager Jacob Ballinger said the move was not in anticipation of the franchise’s sale, but was motivated instead by a change in the way True Value did things.

“There were some changes to the franchise regarding warehouse storage and those types of things that weren’t good for business,” he said.

The John Day store has continued to operate in much the same way it always has following the transition to the Do it Best banner, Bellinger said.

In Enterprise, the True Value sign will be coming down from the Wallowa County Grain Growers retail store soon, but operations won’t change, said General Manager Stacy Beckman.

“It has no effect on us,” Beckman said. “We may not run the True Value name but it doesn’t have any effect on our business.”

In fact, Grain Growers operates other concerns in addition to its retail store, such as fuel, feed, equipment, agronomy, heating and cooling.

Grain Growers is the only True Value affiliate in Wallowa County.

Beckman said Do it Best is the same distributor that Joseph Hardware does business with.

He said the change likely won’t take place until after the first of the year, when a judge rules on it.

“We might have a different name,” Beckman said. “We have other suppliers we buy from, so we’re not tied to True Value.”

According to the Do it Best press release, the sale would create a worldwide store network exceeding 8,000 locations in the U.S. and more than 50 countries around the world.

Seven Do it Best hardware stores appear in Umatilla, Union, Grant, Baker and Wallowa counties when searching on the website’s locator:

Umatilla County — Tum-A-Lum Lumber (Pendleton) and NW Farm Supply Do It Center (Hermiston).

Union County — Miller’s Home Center (La Grande) and Hometown Hardware (Union).

Baker County — Miller’s Home Center (Baker City).

Wallowa County — Joseph Hardware (Joseph).

Grant County — John Day Hardware (John Day).

“I think that the combination of the two should work out pretty well,” Naughton said. “You’re going to end up with about 8,000 stores, little independents like us. We’re all independents.”

Naughton said he should know more details about the company change and sale before the end of the year.