Stein, Bill, and Jesse Basnight Sr.
S.H. Basnight & Sons is known for service. Whether it’s serving commercial and residential customers or supporting local service organizations, this family owned business has been living its values since 1924. It all started with Stein Basnight, who initially sold builders hardware and light fixtures all over the Carolinas from a shop on the corner of Henderson and Rosemary streets in Downtown Chapel
Hill. His insistence on high-quality service products – Stein hung a sign reading, “A house is only as good as its hardware” – propelled the enterprise through The Great Depression. The friendly Stein created a welcoming place for contractors, institutions and others, and his loyal clientele grew. A family tragedy brought sons Bill and Jesse Sr. into the business in 1949. The family home burned to the ground, and
the boys left their collegiate studies to help out. Bill, who was at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was the business manager; Jesse, studying at N.C. State, was the main salesperson. All three were certified Architectural Hardware Consultants and were well
respected in the industry. In 1956, the family business relocated to 601 W. Main Street in Carrboro. Basnight’s, as locals called it, expanded to include bathroom hardware and other items. At one point, the company provided the majority of door hardware on the UNC campus; and more than 70 percent of the hotels in Myrtle Beach.
Basnight’s has been a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce since 2001 and won the organization’s Business of
the Year Award in 2007. Father and sons carried the notion of service beyond the boundaries of their enterprise. Members of the United Church of Chapel Hill, each held leadership roles there. A Mason, Stein was known to leave bags of groceries for struggling tenants living in
his rental properties. Bill was in Kiwanis and Jaycees, serving as president of both, and was a major force in the Chapel Hill YMCA. Jesse, an Eagle Scout, was a Rotarian and served on the N.C. Task Force for Stroke Prevention. The Basnight legacy continues today as a third generation leads the company and continues to serve customers and community. When Bill’s daughter, Terry, wanted to join the business, her father welcomed her, though there were few women in the industry even in the 1970s. Jesse’s son and namesake, Jesse Jr., also came on board. Together, the cousins oversee the operation, now based on Dodsons Crossroads. Basnight’s provides door hardware, doors, frames, and building specialties for universities, schools, hospitals, churches, office buildings and manufacturing facilities; and door hardware and bath accessories for residential installations.
For their long tenure as local business owners, their extraordinary service to the community, and their continued contribution to the local economy, we proudly induct Stein, Bill and Jesse Basnight Sr. into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
Hill. His insistence on high-quality service products – Stein hung a sign reading, “A house is only as good as its hardware” – propelled the enterprise through The Great Depression. The friendly Stein created a welcoming place for contractors, institutions and others, and his loyal clientele grew. A family tragedy brought sons Bill and Jesse Sr. into the business in 1949. The family home burned to the ground, and
the boys left their collegiate studies to help out. Bill, who was at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was the business manager; Jesse, studying at N.C. State, was the main salesperson. All three were certified Architectural Hardware Consultants and were well
respected in the industry. In 1956, the family business relocated to 601 W. Main Street in Carrboro. Basnight’s, as locals called it, expanded to include bathroom hardware and other items. At one point, the company provided the majority of door hardware on the UNC campus; and more than 70 percent of the hotels in Myrtle Beach.
Basnight’s has been a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce since 2001 and won the organization’s Business of
the Year Award in 2007. Father and sons carried the notion of service beyond the boundaries of their enterprise. Members of the United Church of Chapel Hill, each held leadership roles there. A Mason, Stein was known to leave bags of groceries for struggling tenants living in
his rental properties. Bill was in Kiwanis and Jaycees, serving as president of both, and was a major force in the Chapel Hill YMCA. Jesse, an Eagle Scout, was a Rotarian and served on the N.C. Task Force for Stroke Prevention. The Basnight legacy continues today as a third generation leads the company and continues to serve customers and community. When Bill’s daughter, Terry, wanted to join the business, her father welcomed her, though there were few women in the industry even in the 1970s. Jesse’s son and namesake, Jesse Jr., also came on board. Together, the cousins oversee the operation, now based on Dodsons Crossroads. Basnight’s provides door hardware, doors, frames, and building specialties for universities, schools, hospitals, churches, office buildings and manufacturing facilities; and door hardware and bath accessories for residential installations.
For their long tenure as local business owners, their extraordinary service to the community, and their continued contribution to the local economy, we proudly induct Stein, Bill and Jesse Basnight Sr. into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.