A BASINGSTOKE kitchen business is celebrating a remarkable 50 years in the town, after being opened by two brothers as a fishing tackle shop.

Two Guys started out as a hardware store when it launched in 1968 by fisherman brothers Pete and Cliff Pentlow, located in Elmwood Way, Winklebury.

The business then moved to Burnaby Close, selling fishing tackle and hardware.

In the late 1970s the pair, who ran the shop with various other members of their family, decided to expand the business and start selling double glazing.

Current owner, Tony Marshall, who took over Two Guys in the 1990s, explained: “The reason they did this was because back in those days you started to see the big DIY stores opening which meant that side of the business wasn’t as profitable as it had been.

“Moving on from there, in the 1980s they decided they wanted to sell kitchens.”

It was their willingness to adapt which kept the business thriving over the decades, and in the 1990s Tony took over the company when the brothers retired.

He had been working for Two Guys as a kitchen fitter and designer and went into a partnership with Cliff’s son Keith, who focused on the home improvements side, while Tony specialised in the kitchens.

“We specialise in mid-priced kitchens and bathrooms,” explained Tony, who relocated the shop to Armstrong Road, where it remains now.

He said the brand is what has made the business so successful, adding: “The name is different to a lot of kitchen companies, everyone remembers it. Keeping the name has proved to be a good decision.”

Original owner Cliff, who lives in Pamber Heath, explained how the name was chosen, saying: “My mother went to America to see family and when she came back we were about to start the business, my brother and I, and she said ‘you know the name Two Guys is the biggest DIY shop in America?’. I thought if we call ourselves Two Guys they will have to spend lots of money buying it from us, but we never heard from them.”

The 88-year-old father-of-two, grandfather-of-four and great grandfather-of-one, said when he originally opened the business with Pete, they hoped to supply local fishermen with tackle, and said: “We knew you couldn’t get decent tackle from anywhere in Basingstoke. So, we knew that would be a good idea. But that stopped a while back because it’s not like the old days when there were coach loads of guys going out.”

But the ethos of Two Guys remains, and it has continued as a family-run business, with Tony’s wife Julia managing the accounts.

The company, which has won numerous awards, also employs four sales designers, six office staff and uses around 20 local sub-contractors, some of whom have been working for Two Guys for 20 years.

Tony, who was travelling across the country fitting kitchen showrooms before taking a job with Two Guys, said it has been important to move with the times to keep the business alive, and said: “We try to keep ahead all the time. Kitchens are like the fashion industry, styles change, and customers’ tastes change, and we have to keep up with that.”

He also said loyal customers have helped keep Two Guys going, adding: “Customers will have had their kitchen done 20 to 25 years ago and come back to see us. We had two customers in this week who I recognised from 15 years ago. The company has been in the town for so long and has been associated with the town for 50 years, it’s quite rare.”

To celebrate its 50th year in business, Two Guys is offering customers various promotions throughout the year.

For more information visit twoguys.co.uk.