David Frank, The 100 Year Old Sales Associate
Shares Why He Keeps Punching In
Story and Photography by Alysia Therrien
When you arrive at Home Depot to search for your latest home improvement needs, you can expect a range of tools and services. The magnitude of the department store can be overwhelming, even with its carefully sorted products and labelled aisles. However, if you happen to find yourself searching amongst the hardware department, you may be greeted by one of the exceptional employees who knows the zones like the back of his hand. If you are lucky, you may even encounter the man who has the most life experience on staff. This would be no other than David Frank, the 100-year-old sales associate.
On November 14th, 2024, David Frank celebrated his centenarian birthday at his current place of work, Division Road Home Depot. To celebrate this major milestone, regular store functions were put on hold. A large stage was set with chairs surrounding the podium where fellow staff members, previous employees, the community and family members all came together to mark this important day. According to David, executives were brought in from Atlanta and various regional supervisors and managers all came to congratulate him. Furthermore, the president of the company reached out to David personally and arranged to meet him. “It was overwhelming,” says David, “I was asked to prepare notes to speak at the party, but when I saw what all was going on I just took the notes and put them aside and decided to wing it.” He knew something was planned, but he never could have guessed the extent of what actually happened. The evidence of the friendships and connections David has made were depicted in the messages of well wishes and gifts. He states, “it was something you’d have to be there to see.”
David, who has certainly seen a lot for himself, has lived in Canada his entire life. He was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1924. He recalls entering the workforce during the 1940’s, when it was imperative to begin contributing. He shares some of the work he did prior to relocating to the Windsor area, such as the time when he used to fix televisions sets, or as he reminds us, they were TV cubes then. He still has his official certification card from the Radio Television Schools of Canada in his wallet, where he learnt his technical skills at their Montreal branch location in 1956.
He worked a length of time for a major textile company in Montreal that manufactured specialty fabrics, such as silks for dress making. It was a primary pivot in his career that ultimately led him to relocate to the Southwestern Ontario area during the 1960s. His father-in-law at the time extended an opportunity to operate a grocery store in Belle River. It was the right fit at the time, which quickly turned into a 17-year employment. David recalls how back then Belle River was a town of only about 1600 people. “I don’t think anybody locked their doors at night and everyone knew everyone else. It was very friendly and most people spoke French as well as English.”
David finally made his way to the expanding city and established Wallpaper World of Windsor. The McDougall location, in front of the Windsor arena, dealt in fine quality wallpaper and textured fabrics. “I specialized in a lot of imported wall coverings, it was almost a specialty,” says David. He recalls some of the lengths he went to in order to satisfy the customer, such as even offering leather wall coverings.
“I always liked retail, where you met the customer and interacted with them to fulfill their needs,” says David. The market for wall coverings eventually changed and it was around that time when David made the decision to slow down or as he says, “retire a little bit”.
Although David never stopped completely. He is now in his 24th year at Home Depot. What keeps him working is his interaction with people? He prefers to keep busy, and not just staying home and doing nothing. “Don’t be idle,” says David, “so long as your health is good.”
His dedication to the customer was witnessed upon arriving for this scheduled interview. The man of 100 years old was found high up on the orange step ladder, rummaging through a box on the top shelf for a specific nut and bolt. As he swiftly moved down the ladder, with the grace of someone 30 years younger, David would not leave the area until he knew his customers were taken care of.
The 7 aisles hardware department has become the work base for David where he is familiar with the location of thousands of different items. The company has more than acknowledged David’s commitment. To ensure it was obvious they named aisle 18 “Davie Frank Lane”. “It kept them happy, so I’m happy,” says David as he humbly explains his reaction to the dedication.
“In that aisle you will meet people and interact with them more than any other section of the store, so you need to be available to answer questions.”
The lane is where you will find David “Davie” Frank on a typical workday. He is proud that he, “is continuing to enjoy meeting and helping people.” David was asked to comment on how Windsor itself has changed, and he states, “The drivers are more aggressive,” which was met with a shared laugh. All joking aside, he hopes Windsor will continue to grow with the times. He hopes it will further its recognition of being a center for education, with the college and university. David exclaims he wished he had further his own education, perhaps pursuing a career in engineering.
“Be sensible,” is what David suggests, “Listen to your elders.” He furthered that it isn’t very often that those who precede you would offer you bad advice. “Be aware of your age and your time,” he states, “appreciate your friends,” as connections have always been the basis for Davie.
David is fortunate to have longevity run in the family, with a brother who lived to 100, his sisters 97 and 104. “I don’t feel like 100,” says David, “Genetics in my family are very good. Almost everyone lived to 100 or over.”
At the end of the interview, David was eager to return to the floor to ensure he was available for service calls being paged. The departure was made with a final comment on the significance of his century. David simply replied, “It’s crazy, but you’ll get there. When you get there, you call me and we’ll celebrate.”
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