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Stratford centennial
(1891-1991)
Businesses of today, pp. 222-242
Page 234
Joe and Carol Lato owned Strat- ford Hardware from 1956-1988. They purchased the business from Allen and Beatrice McCrory. It was located in the building which houses the Kozy Kafe today. They purchased the Grasal building three doors to the south in July of 1960. The building was re- modeled and moved to the new loca- tion Sept. 1960. In Nov. of 1969 they added on to the building back to the alley. The opening of the new addi- tion was in June of 1970. They re- tired from the hardware business in November of 1988. Stratford Hardware in 1966. Stratford Homes From Stratford Journal The April 5, 1973 issue of the Stratford Journal an- nounced the sale of the Kenwood Homes, Inc., plant to Strat- ford Homes, Inc., a completely locally-owned mobile home manufacturing corporation. Stratford Homes was accepting applications for employment and would accept former Ken- wood Homes and North Star employees. They would employ approximately 75 people at the outset of operations. Stratford Homes began production on Monday, April 9. 1973. By April 19 they announced their first completed 24x48 foot home. They planned to run two complete homes a day in the near future. Stockholders and officers of the company were Dean Wieland, President; Ardell Klemme, Don Ferring, Larry Klemme and Charles Krause, vice presidents; Ken Breit, secretary and Robert Ulrich, treasurer. In 1974 they changed from mobile homes to modular homes. In 1987 the business was purchased by VCI Industries of Minnesota. Dean Wieland remained with Stratford homes until March of 1990 when he retired and moved to Rhinelan- der. Glenn Chadbourne is the current president. Stratford Homes is still manufacturing modular homes and has eighty employees.
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