MAYFIELD, Ky. — David Hardin started his company, D&D Shoes, in 1985.
Hardin said his company is more-or-less a salvage company. D&D Shoes buys end of season goods from major department stores and also buy single-shoes that possibly go into landfills and match them together. This process creates jobs. Hardin says 85% of all the money comes from foreign countries. His company employs 100 people and none were hurt during last year’s deadly storms.
“Each and every one of those employees out there is an extension of our other family. Their kids’ kids. After 30-40 years, you’ve seen them all grow up, things like that. It really hurts to see something like the tornado really put such a heartache and strain on everyone,” Hardin explained to Spectrum News 1.
Hardin said the building stood strong in Mayfield for 120 years before the December tornado wiped it out.
A year later, the building sits mostly surrounded by an active construction site. Crews are working to clear the rubble. Hardin said the company had been here 18 years before it was knocked down. Now, he said, there are about 1 million bricks in the rubble. According to Hardin, they poured the bricks on site back in 1901. He hopes to salvage several hundred thousand bricks and rafters to repurpose in some fashion.
“Yeah, I thought about building a house!” Hardin said with a big laugh and smile. “A lot of people that have been building stuff in this area have bought some of the timbers. The timbers are actually rare. It’s hard pine.”
Hardin wants to grow the business and said he’s hiring right now. They’ve tried to help as many people as possible to stay in Mayfield, but he said it’s been hard.
D&D Shoes is currently working out of its warehouse on General Street, not far from it's original location.
Around downtown Mayfield, you can still see the devastation everywhere you look. But, there’s also the sound of construction and signs of hope.
“Those letters, those words. Those have true meaning to people.” Hardin explained. “They are heart-bound and they’re serious. They want to make this a great community again, and there’s no way it won’t be.”
Hardin said he has learned to never doubt the determination of people. He says it’s been a big help to have so much support come in from different places. He says it’s about what you focus on.
“You can’t let the past get in the way of our future. It doesn’t define us. The past doesn’t define us.” Hardin explained. “What defines us is what we do today. That’s got to be the key… that we stay focused on the future, not the past.”
Hardin believes Mayfield will be a wonderful place to live.
Hardin said he looked into the cost of restoring the original building to what it used to be.
“I do know what it was going to cost to restore it to its original thing was $17 Million.” Hardin explained.
Hardin said at their current location, they’ve got a 150,000 square foot pad already poured. He said more than likely, they’ll look at putting some construction on it and adding to that building.