CARLYLE — What started as a high school job has evolved into a lifetime career for Katie Gaveline, manager of Carlyle's Home Hardware.
Gavelin has been part of the Carlyle Home Hardware team for many years. It started when her parents Gilles and Nancy Matthewson purchased the business in 2005. At the time Gavelin was in school, but once she graduated in 2013, she went to work with her mom at the hardware store. Gavelin was 18 years old.
When she went to work for her mom, she thought that this was a good time to figure out what the next chapter in her life would be. It turned out that this chapter was meant for her as she remained at the store.
Over the years she married Skyler Gavelin and together they have two sons, Maverick and Grayson. In between starting their family, Gavelin became the store manager.
In 2021 Nancy decided it was time to retire. Gavelin took over the store full time. Today they have six students and six adults employed. Gavelin said they could easily use a few more adults to be part of the team.
In February Gavelin was nominated by the area manager for the Western Young Retailer of the Year Award. This award goes to home hardware owners that are under the age of thirty-five, which made Gavelin qualify easily for the award.
The criteria to qualify for are outstanding displays, overall store impressions, the cleanliness of the store, overall sales, and community involvement. They sponsored all the burgers at the Carlyle Sports Complex and teamed up with the Carlyle Lions Club on Bike Safety by helping to cover the cost of bike helmets.
Gavelin and her team met all this and soon moved on to the next level in May. In June Gavelin received the call that she had won the Western Young Retailer of the Year Award for 2025.
“I had to keep the news under my hat for awhile which was not easy,” said Gavelin.
On Sept. 9, Gavelin travelled to Toronto with her mom Nancy at her side. It was a Home Hardware conference, but it is also a training session, and the time to make purchases for the spring 2026 line.
This is the evening that the awards are also handed out. “I was really nervous,” said Gavelin. “There were a lot of people at the event, nearly 1500.” It was at this event that it was finally announced that she had won the award.
“I could not receive this award without the team that I have at the store,” she said. “As much as the recognition has been appreciated, I could not have done it without my staff. I have a very loyal and knowledgeable team who want to learn more all the time.”
Gavelin also added, “Having children, one never knows when they can take you away from the store, and I am lucky to have staff that I can count on,” said Gavelin. “I trust them all and they run the store like it is their own place.”
The next award that the Carlyle Home Hardware team is striving for is the Walter J. Hachborn Store of the Year Award. Hachborn was one of the founders of Home Hardware.
In the meantime, Gavelin wants to thank her staff for being a great team and she wants them to know that this award is not just for her, but for all of them. “They all work hard, and I appreciate each one of them,” she said.
