Across Northern New Mexico, our communities have always been built on determination, local trust, and hard work. Long before high-speed fiber cables traversed the Sangre de Cristo mountains, local lumber yards and hardware suppliers were laying the physical foundation for our homes, ranches, and town centers.

Today, local institutions like Randall Lumber & Hardware in Taos and Questa Lumber & Hardware right here in North Taos County remain the vital backbone of regional commerce.

Founded in 1921, Randall Lumber & Hardware holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating business in Taos. Up north in our own backyard, Questa Lumber & Hardware carries a similarly rich legacy. Founded in 1953 by Jose Malaquias “Mel” and Lucy Rael, the store grew from a modest one-room storefront—which even sold home appliances—into a thriving, multi-generational cornerstone serving Questa, Cerro, Costilla, Red River, and surrounding communities for over seven decades.

While their mission to serve neighbors hasn’t changed, keeping that legacy alive requires blending old-school personal service with 21st-century digital efficiency.

“At Randall’s, our focus is making sure everybody’s house is warm, not leaking, or has good windows,” shares Mark Sheriff, Hardware Manager at Randall’s. “A good home is a necessity, and it’s meaningful to serve the local community rather than dealing with massive corporations.”

To keep operations running smoothly, high-capacity fiber supports critical back-office systems, cloud-synced Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals, and VoIP phone lines. Before switching to Kit Carson fiber, data congestion frequently disrupted daily retail operations.

“The largest pain point before was that there was only so much bandwidth… it was like having too many straws in the same cup,” Mark explains. “When other businesses were backing up their systems, our system would basically become non-operational.”

Danielle Lovato, Business Manager at Questa Lumber and granddaughter of founders Mel and Lucy Rael, remembers those technology shifts firsthand—from counting nuts and bolts by hand as an 11-year-old to navigating DOS-based systems and dial-up internet.

“Ordering used to be hit or miss,” Danielle recalls. “If we had internet issues right before our 3:00 p.m. cutoff, our vendor orders wouldn’t submit. Now, even a last-minute order hits the deadline every time. It’s one click away, and there it is.”

Equipped with a degree in computer networking, Danielle returned to her family’s business 13 years ago to modernize its operations. Today, high-speed fiber powers every corner of the store:

• Mobile Inventory & Pricing: Staff use mobile handheld scanners on the floor to adjust inventory, check pricing, and process stock in real time without paper logs or terminal bottlenecks.
• Cloud Server Uptime: Fast fiber allows real-time cloud server backups, ensuring sales and inventory stay live even during physical server maintenance.
• Instant IT Support: Third-party IT specialists can securely access and troubleshoot any of the store’s 10 terminals within an hour, resolving issues quickly and keeping checkout lines moving.
• Hometown VoIP Care: While customers wait on hold, custom recordings highlight store offerings—from flooring and appliances to fishing licenses—alongside a nod to the store’s 70-year history.

“With fiber, our daily vendor orders submit automatically with zero delay, transactions are faster, and if we ever have a question, one simple call gets us a quick answer,” says Danielle.

For Mark, the value comes down to direct human connection. “With big cellular carriers, you’re at their mercy,” Mark adds. “With Kit Carson Internet, it’s simple. It’s nice to work with a local partner you can actually build a relationship with.”

Together, Kit Carson Internet and local heritage businesses like Questa Lumber and Hardware and Randall’s demonstrate how combining community roots with modern fiber connectivity keeps Northern New Mexico thriving.

Paid Advertorial by Kit Carson Internet