Massachusetts Rental Business Helps Locals Tackle Projects — and Throw Parties

In 1985, Brian Grant and his father launched Grant’s Tool Shack, selling used tools at local flea markets around Lakeville, Massachusetts. When a customer offered them space for a storefront, they leaped at the chance to open their own shop — and in 1988 renamed their business Grant’s Rental. Over time, the business grew into a full-service equipment rental company, supplying everything from power tools and generators to tents, tables, and popcorn machines for local events and parties. “We’ve been serving this community for decades,” Brian says. “Our shop helps people get things done — whether that’s a homeowner tackling a weekend project or a family throwing a graduation party.”

Today, Brian leads the family business with help from his sister, brother-in-law, and a close-knit team that includes his children and long-time employees. His daughter Maia, who works at the shop every Saturday, has played a key role in modernizing the business by updating its rental software over the past two years — which Brian says has boosted cash flow and reservations. “Without those updates,” he says, “we’d be in the prehistoric age.” 

Digital tools help Grant’s Rental connect with the people who need them. The business uses data-powered Google Ads to reach people in towns within a 15-mile radius, preventing them from wasting money advertising to people further away. “We spend a couple hundred dollars a month on data-powered ads and bring in several times that amount in return,” Brian says. His son helps manage the ads and monitors search-data analytics to make sure the business shows up when local customers search for rentals online.

Although Brian describes himself as “a people person, not a computer person,” he credits digital tools with keeping the business thriving. He’s concerned that overly restrictive state data privacy proposals could make those tools less effective. “We’re just trying to reach local customers,” he says. “If new laws make that harder, it’ll hurt small businesses like ours.”

To learn more about Grant’s Rental, visit grantsrental.com.