VALDOSTA — Miller Hardware has carried on a family legacy since its first store was opened in 1908 in Lakeland by Jonathan Miller’s great-grandfather.

Miller said the business moved to Valdosta after World War II and then built a new Downtown Valdosta showroom in 1963. He said it was 1996 when his father built a store on North Oak Street Extension named Seasons Garden Center.

Now, Miller said the family operates three different businesses: Miller Hardware, Whitehead Industrial and Seasons Garden Center.

Even though the family business has a 110-year history, Miller hadn’t always planned to be a part of it. He said he initially had “no intentions of coming back to the family business” earlier in life. He went off to college in Auburn, Ala., to study finance, and then he moved to Atlanta and pursued a master of business administration degree with intentions of entering the financial sector.

Things changed.

“Then, my aspirations really changed, became much more family centric, and (I) saw a greater value in living in an atmosphere such as Valdosta,” he said.

He returned to the family business in August 2010, where he now has shared ownership of the business along with his father and brother.

Miller said the business operates with about 60 employees, some of whom have been with them for about 50 years, and he said he enjoys the relationships established with those employees.

He said Miller Hardware also has loyal customers, having done business with some customers for four to five decades.

Miller said the family continues to be interested in the longevity of the business and is focusing on the omni-channel on an independent level, which he said refers to having a variety of ways for customers to transact with a business. He pointed out e-commerce as one area of particular focus, especially for the Whitehead Industrial side of the business.

“Our market reach is no longer just South Georgia and North Florida,” he said. “We’re selling all over the country now. And the idea is not to go away from our roots but to show people that we are progressive, willing to invest in the longevity of the business.”

Desiree Carver is a reporter at the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be reached at (229) 244-3400 ext. 1215.