[1] The company grew aggressively over the next two decades by acquiring retail operations around the United States, notably drugstores, home improvement centers, and discount stores.
[4] By 1973, when Kline left the firm, Handy Dan had grown to 43 stores with annual sales of $52 million in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and California.
[4] By mid-1974, Daylin's aggressive expansion, intense local competition, and high indebtedness in a high-interest rate economic environment had led to significant financial problems, and the company began to sell off underperforming assets, including its drugstore operations.
In 1978 he fired them, ostensibly for allowing an employee to set up a fund to improperly fight a unionization effort in San Jose, California stores.
On January 5, 1979, W. R. Grace and Company, a conglomerate which already owned numerous hardware chains including Orchard Supply, made an unsolicited offer to acquire Daylin.