AC

As the housing market climbs out of the cellar, home improvement sales are through the roof. Online purchases of home-related goods took priority over back-to-school-spending for families this summer, according to a study released Tuesday from IBM Smarter Commerce. It's a trend that's also driving sales in brick-and-mortar home improvement stores from mom-and-pop hardware shops to Home Depot, which hammered out its highest quarterly earnings report last month in five years at $1.5 billion. The home improvement market was big enough in Uniontown, Ohio, for Wayne and Howard Miller to open what they call the largest independently owned hardware store, Hartville Hardware, in July, with a seven-acre retail space. Outdoor furniture producer Lane Venture has seen its best sales in years, due to the growing popularity of "outdoor rooms," entertaining spaces furnished with patio recliners and swivel rockers, says President Gary McCray. More people are buying items for their homes...