Lowe's has been helping our customers improve the places they call home for more than 60 years. Founded in 1946, Lowe’s has grown from a small hardware store to the 2nd largest home improvement retailer worldwide. Lowe’s stores stock 40,000 products in 20 product categories ranging from appliances to tools, to paint, lumber and nursery products. Lowe’s has hundreds of thousands of more products available by Special Order – offering everything customers need to build, maintain, beautify and enjoy their homes. Lowe's operates more than 1,725 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 2010, Lowe's earned several notable industry distinctions,