In the 1950s, Mac McLendon bought a 50-percent share in a second hand store for $500 in Tennessee. Thus was born McLendon s Hardware, which comprises of six retail hardware stores in Kent, Puyallup, Renton, Sumner, Seattle and Woodinville, Wash., a commercial lumber yard, two distribution centers and more than 500 employees. The product line includes auto and RV supplies, books, plans and videos, building materials, electrical supplies, garden equipment, gifts, hardware, heating and cooling, household products, lighting and batteries, outdoor and home living supplies, paint, plumbing products and tools. In 2004, Seattle Lumber became a part of McLendon s Hardware.