Mr. Hackles has been in Gainesville since before the mines closed, when he got by selling equipment and various supplies to the miners and to Gaines. Once the mines closed, Hackles' store remained and he turned to a new business - credit. Most families in town can't afford groceries or furniture, or a lot of things, especially when the mine closed and business didn't pick up. Hackles has a whole briefcase full of deeds of houses and farms that he has as collateral, along with stacks of I.O.U.s in exchange for supplies. Before St. Veronica's, nearly everyone in town owed Hackles money, but now with the hospital, some richer folks are moving in and some folks are earning more to get out of debt. The rest, however, are still under Hackles' thumb.

 A known miser, Hackles has very few employees, fewer than he probably needs given how old he is. It's no doubt that he could certainly afford to hire more people. Hackles has an old mansion in the Blackwoods that he lives in, isolated from just about everybody. He lives completely alone, and doesn't care for visitors.. most of the year.