Forest Park, Ga—The back story of Campbell’s Lawn Equipment is not that different from others that have made it fifty years in power equipment. They have a loyal customer base that is a mix of commercial contractors and consumers, they have a team on the floor and in the shop they can count on, and the family wants to see the business thrive.                 

In 1974, A. Earl Campbell left his job as a local Chevrolet service manager to open a paint store with his life savings. Current Campbell’s CEO (and oldest of the four Campbell children) Aubie was 12 when his father opened the doors.

Located on the southside of metro Atlanta, Campbell’s paint store quickly evolved to a well rounded hometown hardware store. In the early 1980s, thanks in no small part to the proximity to Snapper mowers then headquarters of McDonough, Ga., lawn equipment got a little floor space.

Over time it became clear that lawn equipment was the future for Campbell’s, but the family patriarch was loyal to paint and hardware even when his children pushed back. Aubie says, “Hardware just kept getting smaller and smaller, but he wouldn’t let it go. He always said, when he’s gone, we can get rid of it.” He laughs, saying it took the siblings about two months before there was no hardware or paint supplies to be seen around.

Today, that small hometown hardware store is now a 12,000 sq. ft. operation, with a 6,800 sq. ft. showroom, and the rest for parts, assembly and the service department. Campbell says growing to this size in Forest Park was not always the plan, but as spaces became vacant around them the store seized the opportunity to spread out and expand.

Campbell’s now operates three stores, the flagship Forest Park store, a compact, 5,000 sq. ft. satellite store conveniently located off I-75 in McDonough, and finally a store in Newnan off I-85 towards east Alabama. Originally built as a Chevrolet dealership in 1946, the Newnan store felt like a full circle moment for the Campbell siblings.

Campbell’s purchased the Newnan store from another dealer closing his doors, and found out about the Chevrolet connection as the deal closed. “My dad started working for Chevrolet and in our 50th year, we bought a Chevrolet dealer—that’s pretty cool,” Aubie says. The building now houses its service department in a single domed, hangar-style structure, with parts and the showroom in an identical building on the property. While the Campbells modernized the structure, they kept its distinctive character.

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