Building a Modern Brand With Community and AI, with Fourth Generation Retailer Meg Walbridge, Taylor's Do it Center

Want proof that local retail can be both high-tech and deeply human? We sat down with Meg Taylor, a fourth-generation leader behind 21 hardware stores in Virginia, to unpack how a family business blends community events, clear messaging, and practical AI to save time, grow sales, and earn lasting loyalty. Her journey, from Capitol Hill to marketing services to advocacy, builds a toolkit any independent retailer can use without losing the warmth that keeps neighbors coming back.

We dig into the shift from traditional buys to digital storytelling, where a simple annual Santa-and-trees event becomes a flywheel: content that resonates across generations, traffic that feeds relationships, and a brand memory that outlasts discounts. Meg explains how segmenting custom GPTs makes everyday work easier: writing cleaner emails, building OSHA-aligned training checklists, drafting social captions, and setting a consistent voice for internal updates. The result is fewer late nights behind the computer and more time on the floor with customers and teams.

We also talk about lowering the barrier to entry with playful experiments, like turning a family photo into a coloring page or testing new image editing tools that didn’t exist two weeks ago. The mindset is simple: try it, segment it, measure it, and keep what works. 

If you’re building an unmistakable brand in the built world, this conversation will give you concrete ways to earn trust, create shareable moments, and streamline the busywork. 

Topics we covered:
• Fourth-generation hardware and 21 stores across Virginia
• Lessons from Capitol Hill, media, and advocacy shaping leadership
• Moving from traditional to digital marketing with purpose
• Community events as memory makers and traffic drivers
• Practical AI via custom GPTs for HR, training, and content
• Segmenting tools to speed work and keep tone consistent
• Photo and imaging tools as low-risk onramps to adoption
• Focus on freeing time for staff and customers
• Spring buying context and coastal lifestyle touchpoints

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Episode Transcript

Stefanie Couch (00:00):
This is something that you can use today
in your store to help you makemore money, to help you sell
more product, and have lifelongfans of customers.

Meg Walbridge (00:08):
It makes you spend less time behind the
computer and more with youremployees and your customers.
Absolutely right.
I actually really liked yoursession yesterday.
We are pretty active using ChatGPT, even though I'm using it.
There's just different toolsthat you use that I thought were
fascinating.

Stefanie Couch (00:24):
The biggest thing with AI that I want people
to know is it's not gonna goaway and you should try it and
just see what happens.
It doesn't always have to besome epic thing for work that
you're doing.
Sometimes it's just to keepyour four-year-old happy.
Yeah.
Welcome to the Grit BlueprintPodcast, the playbook for
building unmistakable brandsthat grow, lead, and last in the

(00:46):
built world.
I'm Stephanie Couch, thefounder of Grit Blueprint.
And I'm a lifelong buildingindustry insider.
I was raised here, built mycareer here, and now my team and
I help others win here.
The truth is, you can be thebest option in your space and
still lose to someone else whosimply shows up better and more

(01:09):
consistently.
Each week on the GritBlueprint, I'm going to show you
how to stand out, earn trust,and turn your brand into a
competitive advantage thatlasts.
If you're ready to be seen,known, chosen, and become
unmistakable, you're in theright place.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the Grit BlueprintPodcast.

(01:33):
I'm your host, Stephanie Couch,and today I'm here on the
market floor in Indianapoliswith my friend Meg.
Meg, welcome to the show.
Thank you for having me.
And I'm excited to talk to youbecause you are also a born and
raised lumberyard, well,hardware store girl.
I'm a lumberyard girl, hardwarestore, but you're a hardware
girl.
And we both left our familybusinesses and went out into the

(01:56):
world and did other things.
And then you came back andyou're now working at the family
business.
So tell me a little bit aboutthe businesses and tell me a
little bit about you.

Meg Walbridge (02:05):
Yeah.
So we have um Taylor's Do ItCenters and Pleasants Hardware
in Virginia.
Um the Taylor stores are inkind of coastal Virginia, and
then the Pleasant Stores are inRichmond, Virginia.
Um we have 21 locations.
Wow.
So it's you guys, there's coolfive of us in the fourth
generation now involved, andit's cool.
It's fun.
That is cool.
So do y'all all divide andconquer, do different things at

(02:27):
different stores?
Yeah, luckily we are all indifferent roles, which is
wonderful.
Um, and then we have a lot ofgreat, great team members who
have been with us forever.

Stefanie Couch (02:34):
I'm sure 21 stores.
That's that's a lot of storesto to wrangle.
I love that.
But like we said, you actuallywent to college and then you
went off and did some otherthings.
I think that learning skills ina different industry or outside
of the family business, it'sactually a really great tool.
I feel like I learned so muchof what I was able to implement

(02:57):
in my life because I did someother things.
But you actually took an evenmore interesting path.
You went to Capitol Hill.

Meg Walbridge (03:05):
So tell me about your time in DC.
I think it's so interesting forme because I never thought I
would actually come back andwork for the family business.
It was always an and somethingI was interested in, but I kind
of wanted to take my own path.
But it's interesting how it'sled me back here in some ways.
Because I worked on CapitolHill for the congressman from
our area.
So it was serving the samepeople we serve our customers.

(03:27):
And then I left and went toHanley Wood, which is in the
same industry that we're now in.
Yeah with the building,remodeling, construction
industry.
And I worked on their marketingservices team.
Wow.
And then from there I went toback somewhat into government
with advocacy advocacycommunications with the Wine and
Spirits wholesalers of America.

(03:47):
Okay.
Which is interesting becauseit's the distributor tier.
Okay.
So kind of learned thatdistribution side.
And that tier of alcohol, it'sall family-owned businesses.
Oh, wow.
So working with them and beinga part of that really made me
realize that I wanted to comeback and and do what I was doing
there, but with my family.

Stefanie Couch (04:06):
So you come back to the family business in what
year?
2017.
Okay.

Meg Walbridge (04:10):
So you've been back for eight years.

Stefanie Couch (04:12):
And what was your first job when you came
back?

Meg Walbridge (04:14):
Mostly social media, digital media, um, kind
of taking us back from thetraditional stuff that we'd been
doing for a long time andrealigning that to what's
working now and taking some ofthat, but also looking heavily
towards the digital path.

Stefanie Couch (04:31):
It's always innovating on social media
because what works today may notwork tomorrow.
They love to mess with thealgorithm.
Like, come on, guys, give me afew minutes.
Yeah, I know.
And it changes so much.
It is crazy.
It really is hard to keep upwith for sure.
But we see a lot now that thegenerations that are coming in,
they love the social mediaposts.

(04:51):
But I also see, I mean, there'sa lot of Facebook posts that I
see that go viral.
And oh yeah, it's allgenerations that are watching.
What have you found that peoplefind the most interesting?
You know, like what's workingthat you think is like really
cool, even though you're notnecessarily doing that day to
day.
But what do you guys think?
Content-wise?
Yeah, or just in your stores,you know, experiences that

(05:11):
people love.

Meg Walbridge (05:12):
I know you do a lot of interesting stuff.
Yeah, I mean, definitely thecommunity events.
We have one in particular thatwe do every year.
It's a Santa event for ourtailor stores, and that's with
Christmas trees.
We have vendors come out,grilling demos, Santa Claus.
Yeah.
And that's just a communityevent that we've really enjoyed.
Someone in the family SantaClaus.
No.
It should be though.
I feel like I think it should beJoe.

Stefanie Couch (05:33):
I feel like it should be Joe for sure.
Yeah.
I think that it's really coolwhen people have events because
I remember going to things likethis as a child.
I'm sure you went to your ownfamily events as a child at the
hardware stores.
Yeah.
And there's something thatsticks with you.
You know, I know you have twoyoung kids.
I'm sure they love thoseevents.
Oh, they love it.
And it's fun to have them therewith us because it's what we
did growing up.

(05:54):
Yeah, absolutely.
That's fun.
Well, and we got to get themready to be the fifth
generation, right?
Oh, yeah.
Absolutely.
You better teach these.
They're both girls, right?
Oh, yeah, both girls.
Teach these everything you knowabout hardware and selling
tools and all the things.
That's awesome.
So eight years ago you cameback, and I know you've done a
lot since.
You actually have a lot ofthings you do in the business.
So tell me about yourday-to-day now.

Meg Walbridge (06:15):
So my day-to-day is a probably similar to a lot
of family businesses.
It's a little mix ofeverything.
But my primary role wascommunications and social media.
Um, and then a lot ofmarketing.
Um, but now I've taken on a RHRright now, and that's kind of a
transitional role that's beengoing on for a year.

(06:35):
So we'll see how long I stay inthat.
Social media and HR isstretchy.

Stefanie Couch (06:41):
Yeah.
Uh, can't see myself doingthat.
No, there's a little rules inHR.
And social media is kind of nothaving rules, so it's a little
bit of a different, differentmode there.
Yeah.
Well, I love your spirit ofjust jumping in and helping,
though.
And that's kind of whatindependent business is, right?
Yeah.

Meg Walbridge (06:55):
Yeah.
Exactly.
When things change, we all justkind of jump in where we can,
and it's nice that we have somany people that are willing to
help.

Stefanie Couch (07:02):
Yeah, for sure.
This episode of the GritBlueprint Podcast was sponsored
by Do It Best Group.
Do it best group is the largestco-op in the world, and they
help independent hardware andlumber yards all over North
America win.
Do It Best offers services,products, and people that can
help you win long term.

(07:22):
They are the champion ofindependence.
Well, we're here at the Do ItBest Market, and you have a
family history, obviously, longties with Do It Best, and you've
had a lot of years of, I'msure, coming to these markets.
What's exciting to you?
Have you seen anything supercool or something that you
really thought was awesome, orare they doing anything that's

(07:43):
exciting you right now?
Um, I actually really likedyour session yesterday.

Meg Walbridge (07:47):
Thank you.
We are pretty active using ChatGPT, even though I'm using it.
There's just different toolsthat you use that I thought were
fascinating.
So what what I'm curious, whichtools did you like?
I guess the different GPTs, Ijust use it, yeah.
Type in whatever I needed thatday and just have kind of built
it that way.
Yeah.
But segmenting them I thoughtwas really cool.

Stefanie Couch (08:08):
Absolutely.
And I I will say, so, you know,what we're talking about, I did
a session on AI yesterday, andwe were talking about chat GPT,
which is by far the thing I usethe most.
But it within that, you cancreate a custom GPT for, I mean,
you could create hundreds ofthem if you wanted.
So if you wanted to have onejust for writing LinkedIn posts
or just for writing an email, orum, you know, all of the things

(08:32):
that I like to do with thecomparison and using it like a
coach, that's something that Ifind is the most valuable.

Meg Walbridge (08:37):
Absolutely.
And because it goes back tolike messaging back to employees
and then different tocustomers, absolutely kind of
building out what you want tosay there.
But we've even used iteverything from marketing to
like compliance with OSHIS andmaking our own certifications
for employees and making surethat we're hitting those.
It's yeah, it's been awesome.

Stefanie Couch (08:56):
It's a great training tool.
Um, you should definitely trywith those custom GPTs.
It gets a little crazy if youhave too many documents and that
knowledge.
Yeah.
And you want to be doing HR andsocial media.
So I would definitely segmentthem for sure.
I love if your HR GPT startedwriting your social media post.
Actually, that's probably areally good idea.

(09:17):
We should write your socialmedia post if your HR lady did
it like a meme.
That would be hilarious.
I think that's a really goodidea.
We just came up with actuallyawesome.
Um, so I think if you did itwith different segmentations on
your GPTs, though, and you wereable to test it and see how I
would love to see what yourcontent metrics were based on

(09:38):
like writing a certain way oryou know, using a certain thing
to see what you do.
And your team is your teamusing it?
I'm curious, always curious.

Meg Walbridge (09:46):
I think there are there's definitely several
people in our office that useit.
Um, I know our IT manager isbig into it too.
Yeah.
And then obviously our familymembers.
Yeah.
For different areas because itworks from everything from
inventory management to IT.

Stefanie Couch (10:00):
So have you ever played with the photo imaging,
like actually making photoimages from it or using it to
edit photos?
Somewhat.
I actually used it last week.

Meg Walbridge (10:10):
I had a photo of my daughter, yeah, and had it
turn into a coloring page.

Stefanie Couch (10:14):
Oh, that's so that was the best.
Yeah.
I mean, that's the thing is itdoesn't always have to be some
epic thing for work that you'redoing.
Sometimes it's just to keepyour four-year-old happy.
Yeah.
I love that.
Well, there's a new technologycalled Nano Banana that's um
Google came out with, and it'san editing for photos and stuff.
And my creative directormessaged me yesterday and sent
me, she's like, I know you'rereally busy at the show, but I

(10:36):
just need to tell you that I'mhaving an absolute moment
because I just did this and shesent me something.
It's unbelievable.
And two weeks ago, that wasn'tpossible.
So I think the biggest thingwith AI that I want people to
know is it's not gonna go away,and you should try it and just
see what happens.
It's not gonna hurt anything.
There's very little that youcould break.
You can't really break it.

(10:57):
Yeah.
So I'm excited to hear back howyou use it.
You'll have to send mesomething from your your I will,
I will.
Once I segment them out.
Yes.
Make sure you send it from yourHR GPT.
It seems like that's the onethat's not gonna be us
naturally.
Yeah.
I always ask uh mine to tell meto be nice, don't sound too

(11:20):
rude, but be firm.
You know, you're telling itexactly how to nuance the
languaging.
Well, from your familybusiness's perspective, are
there any uh products orcategories that you guys are
here?
So it's a small market, butyou're mostly buying for spring.
Do you guys have a big outdoorliving section and any resource?
So you guys have, I'm sureyou're at Virgin Virginia Beach.

(11:41):
Do you sell surfboards?

Meg Walbridge (11:44):
We don't, but we did use to sell Hobie
surfboards.
I think I believe my dadprobably touch on that.
But yeah, that was I think theywere the first Hobie surfboard
dealer on the East Coast, butdon't quote me on that.
That's cool.
Dad, sir.
Oh, yeah.
Really?

Stefanie Couch (12:00):
Okay, well, I'm definitely gonna double clip on
that.
He surfs and sails boat, ordoes this he told me last night
about the sailing when we weretalking at dinner, and that's
super interesting.
What do you like to do for fun?
I know you have two daughters,so you're probably pretty busy.

Meg Walbridge (12:14):
Yeah, I guess just spending time with my
friends when I get the chance.
That's really what I love todo.
And then I do play golf alittle bit.
Oh yeah, okay.
Well, he was talking about doyou keep up with him on the
course?
No, no, no, no, no.
He's evidently a we're on thisthere, but that's kind of mostly
I'm with my girls.
That's awesome.
And what do they like to do?
They love to go to the park, goto the pool, and then we do the

(12:36):
beach a lot, which is mostlywith my parents too.

Stefanie Couch (12:39):
It's amazing.
Well, I love that.
Well, I'm excited to see numberone, how this HR social media
twin roll plays out for you.
Gotta segment it out.
And I'm also excited tocontinue to collaborate because
I would love to see you at theat the spring market.
I would love that.
Maybe we'll do a panel.
If you test out this AI stuff,let's do a panel on how this

(13:01):
works in your life.
Because that's the thing is Iwant to know and show people
that this is not some weirdthing that tech people that
spend hours and hours doingresearch use.
This is something that you canuse today in your store to help
you make more money, to help yousell more product and have
lifelong fans of customers.

Meg Walbridge (13:19):
And spent like it makes you spend less time
behind the computer and morewith your employees and your
customers.
Absolutely right.

Stefanie Couch (13:26):
Yeah.

Meg Walbridge (13:26):
More efficient.
For sure.

Stefanie Couch (13:28):
Well, thank you for joining me on the I will see
you soon.
Sounds good.
Thank you.
Thank you for listening to theGrit Blueprint podcast.
If this episode helped youthink a little differently about
how to show up, share it withsomeone in your building world
who needs it.
If you're ready to turnvisibility into growth, then
head to gritblueprint.com tolearn more and book a call to

(13:51):
talk to us about your growthstrategy.
Until next time, stayunmistakable.