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34 Jordan Cazeault is literally nuts over bolts. That is what happens when you grow up in the family business and help it grow into the national phenomenon that it has become today. It all started back in 1949, with the opening of J.T. Cazeault and Sons Hardware store in North Weymouth. The store was located in an area with many automotive and marine repair shops, which resulted in it stocking an unusually large selection of nuts and bolts. As time went on, the store developed a reputation for stocking a large variety of hard-to-find fasteners as well. It was also during this time that Jordan would go on to live in the apartment above the store, and that is when he began to develop a passion for the family business. "You have to remember, that before places such as Child's World and Toys 'R' Us, it was the hardware stores that had the toys, so it was like I literally grew up in a toy store," says Cazeault. "In 1988, I took over the family business." Having grown up in said family business, Cazeault was always fascinated by the endless variety of fasteners, as well as how excited people were when they found the right item. This led him to further increase the fastener selection, which also grew the reputation of the company. But it was nearly 20 years ago that led to Cazeault's biggest idea to transform the family business from a brick and mortar hardware store to a successful online venture. "When the Internet really began taking off, I wanted to begin the transition of the store online," says Cazeault. "I was with a great group of guys who helped develop everything we needed to go live. In the fall of 1999, I told my mother about the idea, and she said 'Why don't you call it Bolt Depot?' I loved the idea! The URL was available, so I bought it. In 2000, we had the mail server and the web server set up in the old store." Cazeault envisioned the website selling a variety of fasteners, all while using the same simple selection process that he had developed during his years working in the hardware store. The site would allow the company to sell its wide selection across the country. In the summer of 2000, Michael Åhs, a close friend of Cazeault's, developed and launched the first BoltDepot.com website. The site was custom built around Cazeault's method of walking customers through the process of finding the right fastener. Initially, the site was basic, but users appreciated the easy navigation. This helped Bolt Depot form a following of loyal customers that would only continue to grow. After the initial by Rob Kelley, photography by Susanne Malloy Bolt Depot Continues to Carry On Strong Cazeault Family Work Ethic Jordan Cazeault Gary Cazeault