Trantow’s Do-It Center has made several recent improvements to make the store the go-to place for do-it-yourselfers. The paint, hardware, lawn & garden, and power tools departments have been expanded.
Trantow’s has tripled its paint offerings, with product lines ranging in grade from medium-high to top shelf. Featured lines include Color Solutions, Do-It Best and Pratt & Lambert, all manufactured by Sherwin-Williams. The color selection has been widened and Trantow’s now has the capability to mix paint in 5-gallon containers and mix textured paints.
As of this year, Trantow’s became a dealer of Simplicity lawn and garden equipment. Several machines are already on the sales floor, with more to be added as spring rolls around. Simplicity offers a wide range of equipment, from push mowers to zero turn commercial mowers and utility tractors. Overall, Trantow’s has tripled its inventory of lawn & garden supplies.
The selection of power tools has been doubled as Trantow’s expands its offerings to the do-it-yourselfer. The store has expanded its selection of high-end contractor grade tools from Paslode and DeWalt, but has also added more products from those companies – along with Black & Decker and Bostitch – aimed at meeting the needs of the home handyperson.
Trantow’s recognizes that men and women are equally involved in home improvement projects. With that in mind, the paint, flooring and cabinetry departments are headed by ladies who know those areas well. Trantow’s carries a wide range of flooring, including carpet, laminate, hardwood, ceramic, linoleum and vinyl. The store also carries cabinets for every budget and has the largest selection of vanities in a six-county area.
Trantow’s Do-It Center has a history in Merrill that dates back 114 years. In 1897, Robert H. and Bertha Trantow opened Trantow Paint Store on Main Street. Originally stocking paints and oils, the store had moved to 1013-1015 E. Main St. by 1912. The stock had expanded to include coal, lime, cement, brick and wallpaper.
The business has been run by the Trantow family for four generations. Current owner Kent Johnson is the great-grandson of R. H. Trantow. He started working in the family business as a teenager and, after attending college and working elsewhere, returned to Trantow’s full-time in 1978.
Under Kent’s direction, the current 34,000-square-foot facility on South Pine Ridge Avenue was opened in 1990. The recent expansion and rearranging of departments have made the store more shopper-friendly.
Store hours are 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday. Trantow’s can be reached at 715-536-4521.