Handy Dan
| Company type | Public (after 1972 IPO) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (home improvement) |
| Founder | Amnon Barness |
| Defunct | May 1989 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | California, Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, United States |
Key people | Bernard Marcus (former CEO), Arthur Blank (former VP) |
| Products | Home improvement retail products |
Handy Dan Home Improvement was a U.S.-based home improvement retail chain established by Amnon Barness, an immigrant from Israel. The company ceased operations in May 1989.
By the year 1972, Handy Dan had expanded to 30 locations across California, Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma. That November, the company conducted an initial public offering which resulted in Daylin, Inc. acquiring an 81% ownership stake in Handy Dan. Although Daylin filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in February 1975, its subsidiaries, including Handy Dan, were excluded from the bankruptcy proceedings. During this period, Handy Dan remained one of the few assets that Daylin retained rather than divesting.
In 1978, Bernard Marcus served as Handy Dan’s CEO but was dismissed alongside Vice President Arthur Blank amid a corporate conflict with Daylin’s CEO Sanford C. Sigoloff. Following their departure, Marcus and Blank went on to establish Home Depot.
Daylin was acquired by W. R. Grace and Company in 1979. Subsequently, in 1986, Grace divested its retail home improvement division—which encompassed Handy Dan and Channel Home Centers—through a leveraged buyout involving the division’s own executives.
Handy Dan was instrumental in challenging Texas's religion-based blue laws in 1984 by operating on Sundays and implementing a pricing system that used white stickers for products permitted to be sold every day of the week and blue stickers for items restricted from Sunday sales.