Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (Sep 12/05) - Some people feel lucky if they get their proverbial 15 minutes of fame.

But Karen Boudreau of Hay River is getting many hours of fame - 30 seconds at a time.

Boudreau, the co-owner of Wright's Home Hardware, appears in a new television commercial for the independently-owned franchise stores.

"I've had lots of people come up to me and say they've seen my commercial," she says. "So it's very nice."

People stop her at the hardware store and when she's buying groceries. "I've even had people phone me."

However, Boudreau is still getting used to seeing herself in a commercial while watching TV.

"It's kind of weird," she says. "All of a sudden you're just there."

She appears twice in the commercial - at the beginning and the end - along with other Home Hardware store owners.

Husband Stan Boudreau was featured in a Home Hardware commercial about nine years ago.

Her commercial was filmed at a Toronto studio in June.

Boudreau says her role was completed in just one morning.

"It was a blast," she says, explaining she really enjoyed the experience and wasn't even nervous.

Along with many other Home Hardware owners across the country, she auditioned during a buying show in April at the company's headquarters in St. Jacobs, Ont.

In the 30-second commercial, Boudreau - in a non-speaking role - is showing a customer a static-free dryer sheet.

"It was basically like what I do every day," she says. "It was natural."

The commercial started appearing on Aug. 29 and is scheduled to run until November for its initial rotation.

Couple of years

Bruce Shuh, director of marketing with Home Hardware's national office, says the commercial featuring Boudreau will probably run on and off for a couple of years.

"She'll be famous by the time it's done," Shuh says.

The commercial will be seen on many national TV broadcast and cable channels, including CTV, TSN and Discovery.

Boudreau says the commercial - which includes her name and where her store is located - is positive promotion for Hay River and the NWT.

When the commercial was being filmed, some actors were surprised to learn there were Home Hardware stores in the NWT, she noted.