Like his brother Ebenezer, Aaron Leeman Raymond (A.L.R.) Gardner was also a blacksmith, as well as a storekeeper. His son, Fred Gardner, described "our old blacksmith shop" in his diary, making frequent references to shoeing oxen and horses, as well as putting new shoes on wagon wheels and sled runners. In the 1881 Washington County Atlas, A.L.R. Gardner advertised "Blacksmithing of all kinds" while his nephew Lyman, working up the road, added "Long experience guarantees satisfaction" to his "Blacksmithing of all kinds."

Dennys River from the Lower Bridge
A.L.R. Gardner's Stores on the Dennys River
William Kilby's Blacksmith Ledger, 1810-1820