As a purchasing manager for a major Canadian lumber business, Peter Howell had his finger on the pulse of the industry. Through years of working with contractors and builders in Calgary, he spotted a major gap in the market: quality decorative hardware backed by real service was lacking. When he left the lumber business, Peter decided to fill that gap himself, founding Banbury Lane in 1986 to serve the high-end renovation market.
“Our old shop was located just on the cusp of Mount Royal/Elbow Park. My dad originally opened the shop because he thought all these people had historic, heritage homes and they’re going to be wanting to renovate them but there was nowhere for them to find the goods to put in those renovations,” says Jon Howell, second-generation owner of Banbury Lane.
Peter started small, opening a 400-square-foot showroom stocked with a broad range of renovation products including wallpaper, tile, paint, plumbing supplies, hardware and home decor. Former colleague Lynne Drover soon joined the company, first as an employee and then as a partner who remained with the company until 2020.
As the business grew, they refined their focus until, by the mid-’90s, Banbury Lane was specializing in high-end decorative hardware from some of the world’s best brands. The client base evolved too, shifting from primarily renovation customers to custom homebuilders and designers searching for unique finishes for discerning homeowners. Today, Banbury’s loyal customer base is a balance of builders, contractors, interior designers and homeowners.
The company continued to evolve when Peter’s son, Jon, joined the business in 2002. Having grown up around the company, Jon stepped naturally into a leadership role as Peter retired from day-to-day operations. In 2017, former employee Cam Varner returned to the company, bought Lynne’s shares to become a co-owner, and set out to help Jon drive further growth and expand Banbury’s business.
Together, Jon and Cam built on Peter’s foundation of strong relationships with local contractors and builders. They earned a reputation for exceptional service and for sourcing unique, high-quality door and cabinet hardware, exterior and home accessories, bathroom accessories, wine racking and architectural hardware. With exclusive agreements with superior brands including Frank Allart, FritsJurgens, Keeler Brass Company, Designer Doorware, Matthew Studios, Modern Matter, Lowe Hardware and Accurate Lock & Hardware, Banbury Lane became Calgary’s go-to source for decorative hardware.
“We have some lines where we’re really the only calibre of showroom with the right clientele where even showing them would even make sense,” says Jon.
Whether clients need specialty marine-grade hardware, high-end hinge systems or finely crafted cabinet pulls and knobs, Banbury Lane delivers solutions that balance performance, longevity and design intent, often in places most people overlook. The company’s 10 Avenue SW headquarters features a 2,600-square-foot showroom displaying samples from some of the hottest, top-selling global hardware brands such as Armac Martin, EMTEK, Schaub, Top Knobs, Baldwin and Rocky Mountain Hardware.
“If you look at our showroom business, it’s mostly trade, so designers and builders. We’re unique in the sense that we’re open entirely to everyone, but if you look at what we’re doing in the showroom, it’s whole houses typically: all the doors, all the cabinet hardware, all of the accessories, down to the hinges and the doorstops,” says Cam Varner.
In 2022, the company launched an online store to complement the showroom and continues finetuning its e-commerce offerings to expand Banbury Lane’s reach into other markets. However, online sales can’t replace the core strength of the business: the in-depth conversations that help clients find the best products for highly customized projects. Today’s homeowners are willing to pay more for quality products. They care as much about how hardware functions and feels as how it looks, and they rely on Banbury’s knowledgeable team to guide them through those decisions.
That knowledge base comes with a steep learning curve. The Banbury Lane team undergoes extensive training to master the technical language of the variety of vendors in the industry. Sales professionals must learn how each system works, how to integrate it into a space and the inherent value it adds to a project. Because most of the team members have formal design backgrounds, they also help homeowners and designers choose products that align with both the aesthetic vision and the functional needs of a space.
Banbury also keeps a close eye on evolving trends in the market and client preferences, from the return of more traditional, warmer finishes on contemporary items to the growing push for Canada-friendly products in the face of tariff tensions.
“Cam and I did a trip to Europe last fall to deepen our ties with British vendors because people are coming in asking what we have that’s not from America. It’s been a real challenge for us. There aren’t many Canadian companies. We wish there were more because we’d 100 per cent support them,” says Jon.
The owners constantly seek out new quality vendors to add to the catalog, and Banbury stands out in Western Canada for not only its selection but also for its deep industry expertise. That expertise reflects the strength of the incredible staff behind the scenes. Jon and Cam invest heavily in their team, fostering a positive work environment that supports long-term fulfilling careers. They credit Banbury Lane’s steady growth and solid reputation to the talented people who represent the company every day.
“We’re really proud of the team we’ve built and the type of people that we have working for us. They allow us to operate at the level we do,” says Jon. “We can’t say enough about how important our team is to us and how great they are.”
Over the years, the team has built lasting, trusted relationships throughout the industry, reinforcing Banbury Lane’s reputation for quality and service. They support their local clients who have projects in the U.S. and Mexico as well, helping with product selection and by standing behind the products with reliable after-sales support. Cam and Jon attribute its impressive client retention and relationships that span decades to their customer-centric approach. This dedication to clients doesn’t waver regardless of the size of the project. Unlike companies that at best grumble about small jobs and at worst avoid them, Banbury applies the same level of care, attention and service whether it’s supplying hardware for a full custom home or a single bathroom renovation.
“We treat every single person that walks in here as if they’re our best customer. We’ll give the same amount of attention and care, and we’ll ask the same questions to someone that’s going to spend $200 with us as we would with someone that’s going to spend $250,000. The overall mentality of the team up front is that the same level of service is given to both of those customers,” says Cam.
As Banbury Lane celebrates four decades serving the Calgary community, Jon and Cam continue to honour the company’s humble beginnings while looking ahead to its next chapter of growth.
“Forty years is pretty special. It means a lot to all of us,” says Jon. “I think if a business can last that long, it means that you must be doing something right.”
Judging by the impressive roster of long-time, repeat customers who continue to choose Banbury Lane for projects across North America, it’s clear that the company’s reputation has been built the hard way: through consistency, expertise and an unwavering commitment to doing things right.
1301 10 AVE SW
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
(403) 244-0038