[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 103 (Tuesday, June 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2065-S2066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING KLYCE TRUE VALUE HARDWARE STORE

 Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, today, June 13, 2023, Klyce True 
Value Hardware in Sardis, MS, will celebrate its 100th year of 
business. It is my pleasure to congratulate William ``Bill'' Klyce, the 
current owner, on this milestone.
  This family-owned local store is a picture of the American dream. In 
1923, Fred Walthall Klyce, Sr., opened for

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business in downtown Sardis. He never dreamed his shop would become an 
anchor of the town for the next century. Fred passed the business down 
to his son John Klyce, Sr., who would then hand it down to his own son 
Bill Klyce. Through the years, Klyce Hardware has become a repository 
for the history of Sardis. Visitors will be surprised at the artifacts 
they find when they walk through the store.
  Klyce Hardware has always been characterized by community service. 
Today, Bill Klyce stocks the nuts, bolts, paints, and brushes his 
customers expect. But he does even more than that. Occasionally, 
someone needs an item he does not carry. When they do, he goes out of 
his way to find it. And sometimes, emergencies happen on a Sunday. When 
they do, Bill has been known to open the store so his fellow 
townspeople can repair their homes in a pinch.
  Many who hear the story of Klyce Hardware will find it familiar, even 
if they have never heard of this particular store. They will recognize 
it because they know and love similar shops in their own towns. They 
have their own Klyce Hardware and their own Bill Klyce.
  Across our Nation stretches a constellation of small businesses that 
quietly support the American way of life. The entrepreneurs who start 
them perform a kind of magic. Their enterprises create most American 
jobs, inject energy into local economies, and meet the practical needs 
of their neighbors. Without them, the American economy would lack its 
characteristic strength and optimism.
  I want to thank Bill personally for carrying the legacy of his 
family's dream, and I want to congratulate Klyce Hardware on 100 years 
of outstanding service to the people of Sardis. The Klyce family 
represents the best of American enterprise, and I am glad to honor them 
today.

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