About Us

Jose and Lauren Castaneda, the current owners of Esersky’s Hardware, have owned the business since October of 2008.  Jose was born in Colombia and grew up in Queens, NY.  He moved to Orlando, Florida in 1996 with his mother, brother and sister.  Lauren grew up in Claremont and graduated from Stevens High School.  She moved to Orlando after graduating from college in 1999.  The Castaneda’s met in Orlando in the late 1990’s where they had both worked for large corporations.  As they began to look to the future, they decided that the transient life-style of Orlando communities and the long commute they were both making each day didn’t fit into their plans of building a family.  The Castaneda’s began entertaining the idea of owning a business and began speaking with the previous owners of Esersky’s, who were close family friends of Lauren and her family.  After several trips to New Hampshire to spend time in the store and getting to know the industry a little, the Castaneda’s decided that Esersky’s was a good fit for their family and future.  Jose moved to Claremont in June of 2008, while Lauren remained in Orlando to tie up all the lose ends.  In mid-July of 2008 the Castaneda’s loaded up two moving trucks with all their belongings, the two dogs, and two good friends and made the long trip from Orlando to Claremont.  Since arriving in Claremont in the summer of 2008 the Castaneda’s purchased the business, moved the store to its new location on Pleasant Street and have welcomed two baby girls into their busy lives. Alexis Brittany was born in July of 2009 and Jillian Dora joined the family in August of 2010.   Jose is a member of the local chapter of Kiwanis and also serves as an on-call fireman.