Shopsmith was beginning to open its own retail stores nationwide and told the Bagbys they were not interested in making Highland Hardware a Shopsmith dealer. However they soon connected with Garrett Wade Company of New York, the U.S. importer of Swiss-made Inca Tools, and in 1978 began selling Inca tablesaws, bandsaws and planer-jointers. A side-benefit of becoming an Inca dealer was the opportunity to purchase wholesale any of the hand tools in Garrett Wade's vast and beautiful catalog. Highland Hardware quickly became a local Atlanta source for Record and ECE hand planes, Marples chisels, Tyzack handsaws and many other fine woodworking tools. They also continued to sell hardwood lumber and established a small millwork shop in the basement of the store.

In 1979, becoming aware of a growing demand for woodworking classes, Chris published the first issue of Woodman, "A Newsletter Devoted to the Woodworker and his Craft," in which the first two Highland Hardware seminars were announced. Four more issues were published in 1980, announcing new classes and advertising the store's growing line of woodworking hand and power tools.

Click any image to open up that issue