Once every month a group of island women gathers for breakfast at The Hardware Store Restaurant to enjoy each other’s company and support one another through life’s highs and lows. They meet there because of its good food and service, according to member Vicki Clabaugh, and for another reason as well.

“It’s the hub of the community,” she said.

The restaurant opened in the heart of town a decade ago, on Aug. 1, 2005, after owner Melinda Powers spent two years working to transform the former Vashon Hardware Company — in business from 1890 to 2003 — into a restaurant. At the time, Powers said she wanted to create a place for people to come together and share good food. After 10 years, she says that is still the mission that she and her 50-member crew share.

“We feel good about staying true to the vision of creating a gathering place for the community,” she said in an interview last week.

It takes more than vision to keep a restaurant afloat, though, and according to the National Restaurant Association, 30 percent of restaurants fail in their first year and another 30 percent in the next two years. While it may look easy at the big and often busy restaurant, Powers said, it takes a lot of work to keep the business running smoothly. At 62, she works seven days a week in some capacity, with many 12-hour days included.

“I hardly ever get tired,” she added. “For me it is invigorating, and I love it.”

As the owner, her work is multi-faceted  and includes tending to human resources, customer service, food preparation and cleaning, all while keeping an eye on the bottom line.

To that end, she said she and her staff have established strong systems, including taking inventory every week so she knows exactly how much food, beer and wine is on hand.

“We know at the end of the week if we are missing 10 ounces of liquor. You have to know what your margins are at all times,” she said. “You either make your margins and stay in business or you don’t and go out of business.”

Central to any restaurant is its food, and Powers said the restaurant updates its menu twice a year and changes some of its entrees weekly. By doing so, she said the business can make use of locally grown and raised items, offering the freshest food and reducing the business’s carbon footprint in the process. This summer, as the restaurant celebrates its decade in business, there is a new menu in place, which features some limited offerings as well as some favorite dishes from the restaurant’s first menu, including mussels, havarti shrimp and an heirloom tomato tower, as well as a trio of best sellers: buttermilk fried chicken, tacos and fish and chips. The business has also brought back its Boston cream pie, which was once featured in Sunset magazine and is now gluten free.

With a staff of 50, the restaurant is one of the larger employers on the island. As part of staff training, Powers said, the business’s mission of creating a gathering place is made clear. A lot of businesses train new staff in the what and how of their jobs, but at The Hardware Store, they also learn why.

“That has contributed to our success,” she said. “People feel it.”

The restaurant has had some challenging times along the way, she noted, including during the recession and periods when there were staffing difficulties. Currently, though, she said, the staff is strong, with some people who have been there 10 years and others seven years.

“Right now we have the most solid crew we have ever had,” she said. “I am grateful for that.”

Powers added that she runs a tight ship, a practice not always found in the industry.

“We are very strict on all our policies,” she said, noting that for some of her staff, working there is their first job.

“It must be a healthy place for them to work,” she added. “My criteria is that we run a functional kitchen.”

Some members of Powers’ team speak to her success. Bar manager Jamie Clapperton grew up on Vashon and as a young girl shopped at the original hardware store in that building.

“I feel like Melinda reincarnated it,” she said.

Clapperton has worked at the restaurant for four and a half years, two of those as bar manager.

“I have always been allowed to be creative,” she said, noting one of her favorite elements of her job.

At the bar, she works with fresh fruit, juices and herbs, she said, which allows her to create an interesting drink menu.

“I am thankful I have a great job on the island,” she said. “When new staff comes on, I let them know it is a great place to work. This place takes care of you.”

Lars Anderson, one of the restaurant’s managers and its “wine guy” has worked for Powers since before the restaurant opened. He had moved to Vashon with his wife from California, where he had managed a wine tasting room for Frances Ford Coppola. While new on Vashon and at Café Luna Googling work possibilities in Seattle, he looked across the street and saw the paper in the windows and construction activity. Then he started peeking in and asking around.

“I thought people might need some help with wine,” he recalled. “It was the first resume I sent out. The rest is history.”

It was tough in the beginning, he added, and people frequently told him that restaurants on Vashon just do not work.

“I am proud to be part of a business that has been here 10 years and is thriving,” he said. “Melinda has put together a formula that is appealing to many types — locals, families, people who love our specials. We can perform and impress. It is also a casual place, good for a burger and a salad.”

Customers come to the restaurant for all sorts of reasons, Powers said, sometimes to celebrate a special event, sometimes if they are too tired to cook and want to be served, and sometimes when they need to gather for a sad occasion, such as the death of a loved one.

“Those are the ones who touch my heart the most. People need to come together,” she said. “If we know what is going on, we treat the family to dinner. It means a lot to be able to do that.”

In addition to serving countless individuals and families, the restaurant has also hosted many local fundraising events. Clabaugh, of the women’s group that gathers there, credits Powers with being a steadfast supporter of Vashon Community Care and noted she hosts its annual fundraiser, Uncork the Love, every year. For the past two years, the restaurant has also provided frequent Guest Bartender Nights, where organizations can come in and raise funds for their cause, garnering 10 percent of the bar bill as well as additional donations. Powers said she and her staff enjoy those events, which benefit the restaurant as well as the non-profits.

Looking ahead to this summer as she and her staff recognize the 10-year mark, Powers said customers should look for the new menu, frequent 10th anniversary specials and, in partnership with other island businesses, products such as Hardware Store Restaurant vodka, wine, coffee, mugs and T-shirts.

After 10 years, Powers said fulfilling the mission of creating a gathering place is still the best element of her work.

“For me it is about the people, our customers and our employees. I feel so lucky to be in the middle of people coming together around our tables every day and every night,” she said. “It is an amazing privilege.”