MHA eHELPS October 2025

October 2025

Prepared and Distributed by The Midwest Hardware Association, Inc.

Really Neat Stuff for a Really Long Time:

A Small-Town Hardware Store That Hopes to Keep Building the Future

Submitted by Kroner's Hardware, La Crosse, WI

Known for Really Neat Stuff, Kroner's Hardware is a fixture in downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin. We are the oldest business in La Crosse still in its original location. We are also one of the three oldest Midwest Hardware Association members, having joined MHA in 1898! Our extensive retail inventory of necessary and hard-to-find items serves tri-state denizens, both business and residential. Our 4th-generation Kroner owner is getting ready to retire, the building has been sold, and our business is for sale. (For details, visit the listing on the MHA Marketplace page, or give Bill a call at 608-782-6316.) We are hoping a new family jumps in to buy us before our lease runs out early next year. This institution, with its authentic smell and creaky floors, could all be yours! Click here to read more about Kroner's history.

New Required Workplace Poster for Wisconsin Employers to Display Oct. 14, 2025, until Jan. 12, 2026

Wisconsin employers are required to display a new Unemployment notice in the workplace, from October 14, 2025, until January 12, 2026.

Due to a recent federal court order, some individuals who were ineligible for Wisconsin unemployment benefits because they received Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits may now be eligible for past unemployment benefits. All employers covered by Wisconsin's Unemployment Insurance (UI) law are required to display the new Notice to Employees About Updates to Unemployment Eligibility for SSDI Recipients.

The poster must be displayed in a location where all employees will easily see it (e.g. near other employment posters, bulletin boards, near time clocks, etc.).

Printable Posters:

English SSDI Notice Poster (Publication UCB-20040-P)
Spanish SSDI Notice Poster (Publication UCB-20040-S-P)

Additional Information about updates to unemployment eligibility for SSDI recipients can be found by going to https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uitax/ssdi.htm.

Minnesota Paid Leave Effective January 1, 2026

What is it?

Paid Leave is a new program launching for Minnesotans in 2026. It provides paid time off when a serious health condition prevents your employee from working, when your employee needs time to care for a family member or a new child, for certain military-related events or for certain personal safety issues.

https://mn.gov/deed/paidleave/employers/

Premiums:

Deductions will begin January 1^st, 2026. The first premium payments will be due on April 30^th, 2026 and if you are with MHA payroll this will be completed on your behalf with the quarterly filings.

The premium rate for 2026 will be 0.88 percent based off gross wage per employee. The premium rate will change every year after that.

The premiums are shared between employees and employers. Employers must pay at least 50 percent of the total premium, though they may choose to pay up to 100 percent of the premium (note: this additional contribution will be reported as taxable wages on the employee’s W-2, and the employee and employer are subject to additional FICA taxes along with federal and state taxes for the employee). Employee deductions are capped at 50% of the premium rate.

Read the full article here

Sales Trends July 2025

Here are the most recent Illinois, Minnesota-Dakotas, and Wisconsin hardware store sales trends, gathered from association members using the MHA's monthly accounting services. The figures derived for each region include sales data from the following number of stores:

Illinois - 15 stores

Minn.-Dakotas - 35 stores

Wisconsin - 45 stores

Calendar of Events

Ace Spring Convention

February 24 - 26, 2026 in Louisville, KY

Do it Best / True Value Spring Market

March 6 - 8, 2026 in Denver, CO

Orgill Spring Market

February 5 - 7, 2026 in Orlando, FL