DALLAS–Last week, former President George W. Bush paid an unexpected visit to a local hardware store that had previously offered him a job.

Earlier this month, the Dallas store, Elliot’s Hardware, had published an open letter to the former president in The Dallas Morning News, as well as in another local publication. The letter invited Bush to apply for a job as a store greeter. However, his visit on Saturday, Feb. 21 was a surprise.

According to Andrea Bond, the manager of Elliot’s Hardware, Bush walked in and joked: “I’m looking for a job.” He then proceeded to mingle with customers for about an hour before he purchased flashlights, batteries, and a can of WD-40.

Bush and his wife, Laura, moved into their new Dallas home just a day before the former president frequented the hardware store. Their new house is a 1959 ranch-style brick home in an affluent Dallas community. The house is 8,500 square feet, and has an estimated worth of about $2.1 million.

Perhaps more local stores will have Bush as a patron now that he is back in his hometown. The former president’s spokesman in Dallas said that “President and Mrs. Bush are glad to be back in Dallas, appreciate the warm welcome by their neighbors, and look forward to once again being part of the Dallas community.”