The Last Hardware Store In America
Tom Watson
around here felt like they were about to lose a family member. Six
generations of the Moser family had stood behind that counter and Mr.
Buck had done it for about the longest of them all, spending
seventy-some of his eighty-five years working at and then running the
store.
The "new building" had been built in the 1920's and was new only in
relation to the "old building" which was really little more than a
barn that had been erected about the same time that George Washington
had walked his troops on up the road to Valley Forge.
It was a funny sort of place if you weren't used to its ways. For
instance, Moser's didn't sell "nipples"; they sold "short lengths of
threaded pipe". There were no "sex bolts' to be had but you could buy
"binder bolts", which are pretty much the same thing. "Male" and
"Female" fittings were called "Inside" and "Outside" fittings.
Lest you think that the proprietors were without humor, there was a
sign in there claiming that "Left-Handed Smokeshifters Are Available
Upon Request" and another one that said, "Real Wood Stoves Available -
Made From Real Wood - No Warranty".
There were no checks or credit cards accepted at the Moser
establishment but it wasn't hard to get a thirty-day account there.
There were no forms to fill out. Mr. Buck would look at you and ask
your name. Then he'd say something like "Ain't your Uncle Steve
Watchamacallit from over to Longwood?" Mr. Buck either knew everybody
who was local or knew somebody else who knew them. That was it. The
accounts were kept on three by five index cards that his wife Bessie
would grab up at the end of the month and turn into bills that were
expected to be paid the next time you came in. They didn't hold with
the mail service, finding it to be both expensive and unreliable.
When I was starting out as a carpenter I would go to Moser's to buy my
tools. When I bought my first number five plane Mr. Buck looked at me
and asked me a question, "Are you serious about this carpentry,
Tommy?" "Yes Sir, Mr. Buck, I believe I'm serious about it." Mr.
Buck studied me for a long moment and said, "Wait here for a bit and
I'll be back." Now, Moser's carried all the Stanley line and the
planes were sitting right there in front, so I didn't know why old Mr.
Buck was wanting to go in the back. While I waited I ran my hands
over the shiny planes that sat on the shelf.
When Mr. Buck came back he had a brand new number five plane in his
hand but the box he was carrying in his other hand looked older than
dirt. "Let me show you something about planes, Tommy."
Mr. Buck grabbed up one of the newish planes and sat it next to the
equally newish looking plane he had brought from the back. "See how
the mouth is all cut up on this new Stanley?" "See how rough the
castings is?" Mr. Buck then took the iron out of both planes, hanging
them both from the same looped string. "Listen to the sound when I
tap these irons, Tommy." "You hear that clear bell ring from this
one?" "Now listen to this other one."
Mr. Buck spent a lot of time showing me the differences between the
new Stanley and the one he'd got from the back. "How much does that
good plane cost, Mr. Buck?" "What does it say on that new plane's
box, Tommy?" "Twenty dollars." (There was no $19.95 in Moser's, they
wouldn't hold with it.)
"Well, this plane is also twenty dollars but it's not to be sold to
any but trades people."
Had me a sweetheart of a plane and didn't even really know what that
meant.
When it came time for me to buy some decent handsaws Mr. Buck would go
through the same thing. He'd look at me for a bit and then go in the
back for a while.
There were a bunch of new Disston saws out front but Mr. Buck would go
back and bring out a brand new looking saw with a box that was older
looking than dirt and explain the difference to me. I have two sway
back Disstons that I bought in the late 1960's that were actually made
around 1900. Only to be sold to tradesmen.
I bought a set of black handled Stanley chisels from Mr. Buck and paid
the same price as the yellow handled ones would have cost. Mr. Buck
explained the differences to me. I still use them. They are the best
chisels I have ever used.
I got plenty of tools from Mr. Buck over the years but the best thing
that I got there was free - an education.
When Servistar and True Value started taking over the hardware
business it hurt Moser's pretty bad. The only thing that kept new
people coming in was that the other folks couldn't help them with
anything. Mostly the sales people were not really hardware people and
Mr. Buck could figure out what you wanted by you telling him what you
wanted to do. The True Value and Servistar people just couldn't do
that.
Mr. Buck's children had no interest in the business and neither did
his grandchildren, although most of us believe that he held on for as
long as he did just to see if one of the grandkids would want to come
in on the business.
When the new Home Depot opened up Mr. Buck went walking through it.
Wasn't too long after that he decided to close up. The "new building"
needed a new roof. People were getting pissed off that Mr. Buck
didn't hold with credit cards. The township wanted Mr. Buck to
install a real expensive sprinkler system. Mr. Buck figured that he'd
be better off just going fishing.
I'll miss Moser's Hardware Store.
I just wish that my children had been old enough to appreciate it
before it went away.
Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker (ret)
Real Email is: tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet
Website: http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1
Puff Griffis
I believe I am going to miss Mr. Moser's hardware store also. We have one in the Louisville area that I think is the largest nonBORG left called H&S Harry was the dad Sam was the son.
I worked for Sam back in the late 70's good guy with an eye for detail. Now Sam does not carry much in the way of hardwoods anymore and as a matter of fact his lumber section is quite small. I don't know when he quit carrying large powertools but now all he has is drills and circular saws. I am sad to say that after their 50th anniversary I doubt Sam will be around much longer. A real shame.
Puff
"Tom Watson" <tjwa...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:vb94609atgtgssm6t...@4ax.com...
J.B. Bobbitt
old "Roscoe Hardware" store in the San Fernando Valley (corner of Sunland
and San Fernando Blvd.).
It was like you described, a long time ago.
-JBB
Charlie Self
A wonderful story, as usual.
>There were no checks or credit cards accepted at the Moser
>establishment but it wasn't hard to get a thirty-day account there.
>There were no forms to fill out. Mr. Buck would look at you and ask
>your name. Then he'd say something like "Ain't your Uncle Steve
>Watchamacallit from over to Longwood?" Mr. Buck either knew everybody
Reminds me of Bedford, VA when I first moved there. Walked into COffey &
Saunders farm store to get a whatever. Got it. Took out the plastic to pay,
only to be told I had to put that on my "charge account, 'cause we don't take
American Express". I said I didn't have a charge account. The clerk (AKA owner)
siad, "You do now".
That was 27 years ago. Today, C&S takes plastic and instant accounts are not
available.
Progress.
Charlie Self
"Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made." Otto von
Bismarck
patriarch
Great story, Tom. Thank you for the tribute to your friends.
In the Oakland, California, area, a fine family runs several hardware
establishments such as Moser's. Has for several generations. They are
truly a treasure, both the stores and the people. It's not always easy.
Parts of our area are far from gentrified.
But you are always greeted, served and educated when you arrive. And I am
pleasantly surprised at the treasures Peter digs out of the racks, whenever
I go in with a problem.
I don't know about one of those 1900-vintage Disstons, though. Maybe I'll
ask, next time I'm in.
Patriarch
searcher1
into a BORG and have a project to content with the only help you get is "
look in asile ??" I had a problem with my camper and needed to fix the
holding tank without replacing it. I went to Lowes and looked around for
just the right parts with no avail. I even asked for advice but I never got
anything that I could use. As I was driving home pondering "how to" I
noticed and "old" hardware store. I decided to give it a try. When I walked
in the store it looked more like my garage, packed with old crates and
"antique" displays. I looked around a bit when the "old" guy came over to me
to see if he could help me find something. When I explained what I was
trying to do he took me to another aisle and quite literally put what I
needed together with a handful of parts he dug out. I paid less for the
whole thing then I did for the brass drain cock at BORG. I started that day
pulling out what hair I had left over that camper tank and by the end of the
day I had it completed. I really thought that I would have to purchase
another tank from Coleman but thanks to this ole guy at some "run down" pack
rat of a store I got what I needed and a better idea to fix it. It's truly
wonderful when you find store like this. I miss the days that I could go
into our local gun store and spend hours chatting with the old man that
owned it. These guys knew everything, now when you go into these retail
giants with the green horns behind the counter smacking thier bubble gum you
just have to wonder what ever happend to the good ole days?
Rich AKA Searcher 1\
"patriarch" <patr...@nospam.codifiant.comnet> wrote in message
news:Xns94B6C8AE1DA84...@204.127.204.17...
Leon
Contrary to what one would expect, this store is within 3 or 4 miles of
Houston's city limits and surronded by 3 or 4 borgs. The borgs are all
within 3 to 4 miles from this hardware store and business for this store
seems to be flourishing. There is not a time that you walk in that you do
not see 6 to 10 well seasoned employees that drop what they are doing to
help you the monent that you walk in the store. Within 2 miles of that
hardware store is an old lumber yard. Same great folks and same great
service and they are growing like the hardware store.
Dave Balderstone
<tjwa...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> When Mr. Buck Moser decided to close up the hardware store
Thanks again, Tom.
--
It's probably time to change my sig line, eh?
Doug Winterburn
[snip of great story]
> I'll miss Moser's Hardware Store.
>
> I just wish that my children had been old enough to appreciate it
> before it went away.
Not all the good local stores vanish. McLendon's Hardware in Renton, WA
is a place that I frequented for years. They've not only managed to
survive the assualt of the Borg, but have expanded to 3 or 4 stores (not
sure how many as I left the area 11 years ago).
I still drop in to the Renton store when in town on vacation. And the
kids did spend time in that store.
-Doug
--
"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always
depend on the support of Paul." - George Bernard Shaw
Luigi Zanasi
<dlwint...@yahoo.com> scribbled:
>On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 19:22:58 -0500, Tom Watson wrote:
>
>[snip of great story]
>
>> I'll miss Moser's Hardware Store.
>>
>> I just wish that my children had been old enough to appreciate it
>> before it went away.
>
>Not all the good local stores vanish. McLendon's Hardware in Renton, WA
>is a place that I frequented for years. They've not only managed to
>survive the assualt of the Borg, but have expanded to 3 or 4 stores (not
>sure how many as I left the area 11 years ago).
Ours has disappeared. I do miss Nelson's Hardware which is now a Tim
Hortons catering to Kanuckistan's addiction to doughnuts. We still
have Gordy Ryder & his "Builders' Supply Land" old fashioned lumber
yard, but the tools tend to be the "Vermont American" line. But he did
get me clear cedar for $CAD2.25/BF. Our imitation Borg isn't too bad
either, the guys & gals who work there tend to know their stuff.
Thanks for another good one, Tom.
Luigi
Replace "nonet" with "yukonomics" for real email address
www.yukonomics.ca/wooddorking/antifaq.html
www.yukonomics.ca/wooddorking/humour.html
Larry Blanchard
puf...@alltel.net says...
> I believe I am going to miss Mr. Moser's hardware store also. We =
> have one in the Louisville area that I think is the largest nonBORG left =
> called H&S Harry was the dad Sam was the son.
>
downtown around 1st and the river was this enormous building
called Belknap hardware - a whole city block and multiple
stories, all crammed full.
Sigh.....
--
Where ARE those Iraqi WMDs?
Puff Griffis
Puff
"Larry Blanchard" <lbl...@fastmail.fm> wrote in message news:c3tqt0$2btjfa$3...@ID-124996.news.uni-berlin.de...
Lew Hodgett
"Larry Blanchard" writes:
> I grew up in Louisville in the '40s and '50s. Somewhere
> downtown around 1st and the river was this enormous building
> called Belknap hardware - a whole city block and multiple
> stories, all crammed full.
Belknap was also a hardware wholesaler that called on the hardware store
where I worked while in high school.
There was a PBS story some time ago covering the life of the Belknap
Hardware Co.
Yes, it is long gone along with the Geo Worthington Co and the W Bingham Co,
both hardware wholesalers located in Cleveland.
Not sure if Hibbard, Spencer & Bartlett in Chicago or Bostwick-Braun in
Toledo still survive.
--
Lew
S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland)
Visit: <http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett> for Pictures
John Keeney
"Larry Blanchard" <lbl...@fastmail.fm> wrote in message
news:c3tqt0$2btjfa$3...@ID-124996.news.uni-berlin.de...
> puf...@alltel.net says...
> > I believe I am going to miss Mr. Moser's hardware store also. We =
> > have one in the Louisville area that I think is the largest nonBORG left
=
> > called H&S Harry was the dad Sam was the son.
Where's H&S at?
Across the river, here in Jeffersonville, we have Hoosier Hardware.
Not much at all in the way of lumber but the History Channel did
do one of their shows on tools in the store.
> I grew up in Louisville in the '40s and '50s. Somewhere
> downtown around 1st and the river was this enormous building
> called Belknap hardware - a whole city block and multiple
> stories, all crammed full.
Belknap is long gone. The company tried to go on a growth spurt
and killed itself. I *think* that was the building they imploded as
a big media event as part of the publicity for that Stallon movie,
The Demolition Man.
Michael Baglio <mbaglio
wrote:
...snip...
>I'll miss Moser's Hardware Store.
>I just wish that my children had been old enough to appreciate it
>before it went away.
Tom, I could actually _smell_ the place. Nicely done.
Michael
Buttonhole McGee
place exists (let alone places)! Next time I go get my Golden Bear fix
and my Zachary's fix, might as well try to do something about my
hardware jones, too...
Upscale
news:vb94609atgtgssm6t...@4ax.com...
> I'll miss Moser's Hardware Store.
Good story. We had a store similar to that here in Toronto, Canada. It was
called Aikenheads down on Temperence Street. Anybody up here remember it?
It was a five storied building with the whole thing dedicated to tradesmen
of various types. Each floor of the building was more or less dedicated to a
particular trade. Woodworking, plumbing, metalworking, etc.
I bought my first tablesaw there over thirty years ago and it was a fluke
that it happened. I'd wandered in off the street to browse like I did in
every hardware store. Then I came across this contractor's tablesaw on the
third floor. $350 was what it cost and back then that was a fortune to me.
The salesman saw me eyeing it and came over to chat with me. We talked about
woodworking for almost an hour. First time in my life I've ever gossiped
with a salesman instead of trying to put him off because he was trying to
sell me something. I guess he knew I was hooked though, because he took his
time with the sales pitch. I finally had to tell him that I'd love to buy
the saw, but there was no way in hell I'd be able to come up with the money,
the cash just wasn't there.
The salesman asked me if I had any credit cards. And then it happened, one
of those lucky occurrences that change your life. A few weeks previously,
I'd received a gas card (don't remember what it was, might have been a
Canadian Tire credit card) but, believe it or not Aikenhead's happened to
accept that card. Next thing I knew I was loading this 200 lb box full of
unassembled tablesaw parts in the trunk of my car. And that was the real
start to my woodworking.
I really came to appreciate that store and that building about ten years
later when I wound up in the wheelchair, because this dirty, dusty, old,
outdated building had an elevator that went to all five floors. Back then
for a building of this type and that old, an elevator was very unusual. I
guess they needed it for some of the heavier machinery. I went down there
every few months for the next ten years until one day when I arrived at the
building, it was out of business. A month later it was being torn down for
something else. If I remember rightly, it was about the time that Home Depot
stores started to sprout up everywhere. I think, but not sure, that
Aikenheads purchased one of the Home Depot franchises, but I never saw any
of the employees again that had worked there. But I do know damned well for
sure, nobody in a Home Depot has every stopped and gossiped with me about
whatever craft, hobby or trade that I was interested in doing. It's all
about business now. Too bad.
Charlie Self
>has every stopped and gossiped with me about
>whatever craft, hobby or trade that I was interested in doing. It's all
>about business now. Too bad.
It's all ROI, now. The fact that anyone might go into a business because he
enjoyed it and thought he could make an honest living at it is beyond most
business leaders today. Short-term everything, squeeze every last penny, and
then fold the company and screw the workers and the customers both.
dave in fairfax
> Not all the good local stores vanish. McLendon's Hardware in Renton, WA
> is a place that I frequented for years. They've not only managed to
> survive the assualt of the Borg, but have expanded to 3 or 4 stores (not
> sure how many as I left the area 11 years ago).
McLendon Hardware Inc
17705 130th Avenue Northeast
Woodinville, WA 98072
206-281-7404
206-485-1363
Mclendon Hardware
1111 Fryar Ave
Sumner, WA 98390
206-863-2264
Mclendon Hardware
710 S 2nd St
Renton, WA 98055
206-235-3582
That's all I find.
Dave in Fairfax
--
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/
dave in fairfax
> Not all the good local stores vanish. McLendon's Hardware in Renton, WA
> is a place that I frequented for years. They've not only managed to
> survive the assualt of the Borg, but have expanded to 3 or 4 stores (not
> sure how many as I left the area 11 years ago).
Sorry here're a couple more and a website.
Mclendon's Hardware
10210 16th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98146
206-762-4090 Fax: 206-235-3599
Mclendon's Hardware
5420 112th St E
Puyallup, WA 98373
253-536-6560 Fax: 253-536-0143
dave in fairfax
Scott Mclendon's Ace Hardware
1700 Mile Hill Drive Southeast Suite 100A
Port Orchard, WA 98366
http://www.acehardware.com
360-876-8018
Scott Mclendon's Hardware
Ne 51 Hwy 300/Po Box 550
Belfair, WA 98528
360-275-0113
Grant P. Beagles
and a coat of finish. Nuts. bolts, nails, etc. were sold by the pound...
Thanks Tom. I've been there too, not Moser's, but I've been there.
Grant
Jerry Gilreath
--
"Cartoons don't have any deep meaning.
They're just stupid drawings that give you a cheap laugh."
Homer Simpson
Jerry© The Phoneman®
"Puff Griffis" <puf...@alltel.net> wrote in message
news:SWu8c.6020$ol3....@fe03.usenetserver.com...
Jerry Gilreath
Godfathers. South of the Waterston Xway.
--
"Cartoons don't have any deep meaning.
They're just stupid drawings that give you a cheap laugh."
Homer Simpson
Jerry© The Phoneman®
"John Keeney" <jdke...@iglou.com> wrote in message
news:40629...@news.iglou.com...
DarylRos
remember what I needed at the time. I said hi to John, who ws working at the
counter (he wasn't in the family, which is now run by the grandchildren)m and
he said, "Hi Daryl," gave me a little grin and added, "you need batteries."
"No John, I came in for (whatever)."
"You need batteries."
"No, seriously, I need ____."
"Your wife just called. You need D batteries. Here they are." And he put them
on the counter.
Puff Griffis
Puff
"Jerry Gilreath" <jfo...@inNOSPAMsightbb.com> wrote in message news:kYB8c.91054$Cb.1184269@attbi_s51...
Henry E Schaffer
generation - and still provides the same knowledgeable service. It's a
general hardware store, not a woodworking supply store.
--
--henry schaffer
hes _AT_ ncsu _DOT_ edu
jegan
> But I do know damned well for
> sure, nobody in a Home Depot has every stopped and gossiped with me about
> whatever craft, hobby or trade that I was interested in doing. It's all
> about business now. Too bad.
I don't want to be an apologist for Home Depot or any of the BORGs,
but my dad works at a Home Depot in the plumbing department. He'll
chat with you and he may not tell you want you want to hear but you
will hear what you NEED to. He'll also tell you where to go to find
the parts that Home Depot doesn't stock. I was visiting him one time
at the store and some scruffy looking guy came up looking for a tool.
My dad said they they sell the tool he needed for about $50, but if he
only needed to use it once he should go to the rental place down the
road and rent the same tool for $12.
When I need help at the BORG stores I look for the old guys. They
likely have enough experience to help me out. Plus, they're so old
that they can't move very fast so they can't get away when they see me
coming. <g>
When I started finishing my basement I stopped at the Pro-desk at my
local Home Depot. I spent about an hour talking to the guys there and
they were immensely helpful. They saved me many hours of time, a lot
of money and I ended up with a better design.
Don't get me wrong, HD has disappointed me a number of times when I
can't find what I'm looking for or they just don't stock what I need.
That's when I go to my local hardware store.
--
Jim
Rumpty
--
Rumpty
Radial Arm Saw Forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/woodbutcher/start
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Larry Blanchard
jfo...@inNOSPAMsightbb.com says...
> Isn't that the one they imploded for an MTV video or movie or something?
>
the movie.
mttt
<snip of another great story!>
>
> I just wish that my children had been old enough to appreciate it
> before it went away.
>
Thank you for the walk down memory lane. I was fortunate enough to have a
"Moser's" growing up. Odd, now that I think of it, since it was a very small
farm town in Wisconsin.
Well worn hardwood floors - and, indeed, big rotating bins with a scale
hanging nearby for nails -- sold by the pound, as Grant mentioned.
Mr. Stein folded to Ace Hardware; this was long before Home Depot began its
assault on the land.
[ Irony of ironies is that I know find solace in Ace; a welcome respite from
The Aisles of Home Depot. ]
Now living close to Boulder, CO - there's McGukin's.
Certainly not Moser's in appearance, perhaps Moser's in semblance.
But Moser's in spirit.
Prices are a tad higher.
It's an inconvenient drive.
But, sometimes, I spend my lunch hours there -- and skip lunch.
Jeff
let's all try to make more of our larger purchases at our favorite
hardware stores to ensure that they are in business the next time we
need just a handful of odd washers - carefully counted out from a
dusty wooden box behind the counter.
Regards, Jeff
"searcher1" <united...@NOSPAMverizon.net> wrote in message news:<1Ts8c.3985$Um2....@nwrddc01.gnilink.net>...
> It is extremely rare to find such an establishment nowadays. When you go
> into a BORG and have a project to content with the only help you get is "
> look in asile ??" I had a problem with my camper and needed to fix the
> holding tank without replacing it. I went to Lowes and looked around for
> just the right parts with no avail. I even asked for advice but I never got
> anything that I could use. As I was driving home pondering "how to" I
> noticed and "old" hardware store. I decided to give it a try. When I walked
> in the store it looked more like my garage, packed with old crates and
> "antique" displays. I looked around a bit when the "old" guy came over to me
> to see if he could help me find something. When I explained what I was
> trying to do he took me to another aisle and quite literally put what I
> needed together with a handful of parts he dug out. I paid less for the
> whole thing then I did for the brass drain cock at BORG. I started that day
> pulling out what hair I had left over that camper tank and by the end of the
> day I had it completed. I really thought that I would have to purchase
> another tank from Coleman but thanks to this ole guy at some "run down" pack
> rat of a store I got what I needed and a better idea to fix it. It's truly
> wonderful when you find store like this. I miss the days that I could go
> into our local gun store and spend hours chatting with the old man that
> owned it. These guys knew everything, now when you go into these retail
> giants with the green horns behind the counter smacking thier bubble gum you
> just have to wonder what ever happend to the good ole days?
>
> Rich AKA Searcher 1\
>
Jerry McCaffrey
>When Mr. Buck Moser decided to close up the hardware store everybody
>around here felt like they were about to lose a family member. <snip>
We still have Finkle Hardware in Lambertville, NJ ... not TOO far from you.
Just going down the basement is an adventure ... bins of left-handed smoke
shifters :) Sell everything from structural steel to stove pipes.
Jerry
Toller
He could simply have joined True Value or Servistar. He wouldn't have had
to change anything and could have gotten all the advantages.
In the my town there was a decrepit old store that didn't sell much of
anything; it was firmly anchored in the 19th century. A new store opened up
down the street and did pretty well. Needless to say, it was the last straw
for the old store.
But it proves there was plenty of business to be had. If the old store had
modernized it would still be there and the old store would never have been
built. And (this is the big one) the old store didn't have to give up it's
great service (if it had great service; I wouldn't know because I never
shopped there, though I do at the new store); all it had to do was offer
what people wanted at competitive prices; like the new one does.
patriarch
news:Ngx8c.4450$w54.49735@attbi_s01:
I deal with Peter Eames, at Eames Hardware, in Pleasant Hill, Ca. His
sister now runs/owns the store in Oakland, near Children's Hospital.
Sorry, I don't have the name at hand. Two more brothers run a big Ace
Hardware in the Albany/El Cerrito area, down by the freeway, just north of
the Free Republic of Berkeley border.
Oakland has counter service, rather like an auto parts store, because
unfortunately otherwise, security and shrinkage gets to be a big problem.
But the counter service allowed them to stay open, serve their customers,
be profitable, and keep a good store in the neighborhood, in spite of a
large Orange BORG just up the way in Emeryville, near the IKEA.
The Pleasant Hill store went in 5 years ago, right after I bought this
house we're in now. I think the only week I haven't been in there was a
week I was traveling. Some Saturdays, three and four times, depending on
how the projects are progressing.
It's been holy writ in our family for over fifty years, that any plumbing
project will take three trips to the hardware store, minimum. The last two
low flow toilets I installed were one trip each, not counting the trip to
return the extra angle stops with the 'other thread' pattern. Eric really
knows his stuff. But then he would, with 25+ years in the business.
Patriarch,
who's been thinking that Jerry Brown has been far from the worst of the
local politicians. Oakland's a tough crowd to please.
Tom Watson
McCaffrey) wrote:
>We still have Finkle Hardware in Lambertville, NJ ... not TOO far from you.
>Just going down the basement is an adventure ... bins of left-handed smoke
>shifters :) Sell everything from structural steel to stove pipes.
>
>Jerry
Yep. I lived in Newtown for a bit and then up in Frenchtown. Finkles
was/is a great place and the Frost-Watson Lumberyard beats the hell
out of the Borg, for my money.
John Cole
I gw up in norther
John Cole
I'll try again.....
I grew up in northern england. When I was going to school I worked at
the hardware store - Percy W. Stephenson & son. The old man who ran
the store was the "Son" . His three sons worked there.
The store was for the most part counter service only, very little on
the floor . Nails etc. sold by the pound, nuts and bolts - however
many you needed 2 or 22, no plastic bags of twenty to buy.
The store I worked in was the "new" store - they had moved from the
"old"store twenty years earlier. They had been in the old store since
Percy W started the business just after WW I. When they moved they
took everything, including stock that was for things like making
wagon wheels, cooperage tools etc. If they didn't have it didn't
exist.
As to selling old tools - when a long time customer (a retired Rolls
Royce mechanic) died, they sold his tools (an extensive collection)
for his widow - to make sure she got top dollar. These tools were far
superior to anything made today. They were sold to the regular
clientele - tradesman who would appreciate them and deserved them.
Last time I was in town I went past and they were no longer there.
Don't know what happened to them, hope they're still in business at a
"new" new store.
JC
Brian Elfert
>The "new building" had been built in the 1920's and was new only in
>relation to the "old building" which was really little more than a
>barn that had been erected about the same time that George Washington
>had walked his troops on up the road to Valley Forge.
I grew up in the 1980s. We had a hardware store very similiar to this
locally. It was built in the early 1900s and had worn out wooden floors.
Merchandise was crammed into every corner and spilled out into the aisles.
The fire marshall finally told the owner he had to renovate or close the
store. The owner spent at least $500,000 on a new building right behind
the old one. The new store opened in 1988 and the old store was razed to
finish the parking lot. It is much easier to find stuff in the new store,
but the character just isn't the same.
Ironically, the city now is redeveloping the area and will be building the
owner another new store 1/3 mile up the road. I don't understand why
cities spend millions of taxpayer dollars to raze perfectly good
businesses and relocate them.
Brian Elfert
My Old Tools
brass National cash register and the wooden cheese boxes where he kept the
little books for all the credit customers. Under the counter was the box of
all the little books that he didn't collect because someone had hard times,
the same folks that had a current book usually.
It was a small country community, no town at all. He had clothes,
groceries, gas and oil, hardware, nails, and cow feed. He could add up a
column of prices faster than anyone could punch them into a calculator or
cash register. He finally sold it the last time when he was 85. I say the
last time because he sold it and bought it back a couple of times. He just
couldn't stay away from the public.
I'll never forget things like the hoop of cheese kept warm on the butcher
block, nothing better with a handfull of crackers and a tomato or onion.
You could always get 10 cents worth of crackers, a slice of baloney, and
cold drink for lunch. Sitting around listening to old men tell stories is
an education in itself.
The story below was in my grandfather's words when was interviewed for the
paper after he retired.
"I believe the way opened in 1923, we opened a little store and stores at
Bassett, Texas in 1924 and have been on said highway 47 years. It was a
narrow road and part of it had not been asphalted in 1924. I furnished
gravel trucks to said road between Bassett and Sulphur River. When I first
opened up they were Model T Fords mostly and carried 1 1/4 yard [of gravel].
There was a plank bridge over Sulphur River at that time. The bridge caught
fire one weekend one time and the traffic had to turn at Maud and go by
Douglassville and back to Naples. It was a good highway and a way of earning
a living for lots of little merchants which is a thing of the past now. I
had $500 to go into business with and am enclosing a picture of my first
store. Cars were just coming in style and my wife and I had all the business
we could take care of. We had the only service store between Maud and
Naples. Mr. W.O. Bryan put me in a little 5 gallon pump and a 3 barrel
Lubestir and gave me credit for 250 gallons of gas and 30 gallons of oil and
told me when he comes back with more gas for me to have the money. He was a
fine man and gave me some sound advice. Also Mr. Bob Cargile had a wholesale
grocery in Mt. Pleasant and also at Naples, he gave me credit for $50 in
groceries. He was a fine man and I bought from him as long as he was in
business. Forty seven years brings about lots of changes. I have sold lots
of new tires for $5 each and many gallons of gas for 13 cents. It is
lonesome for me now. I had lots of people from Dallas and Little Rock that
came by once a month to once a year and always stopped with us. We always
had big crowds over the holidays. But all good things come to an end some
time. I just thank the good Lord that it lasted until my children were
educated and my pension was started."
This one was written by my dad.
The Peddler's Wagon. During the depression starting with the stock market
crash in 1929, the task of feeding one's family became difficult. Although
we made it better than many, Dad and Mom used every means at their command
to keep the store from going under. Most of the customers had little or no
money, competition was tough, profit margin almost non-existent, and losses
on credit accounts were staggering. Then, in the early and mid 1930's, the
peddler's wagon came into being again. It certainly wasn't a new idea,
having existed here and in Europe for several hundred years. It was called a
wagon (a hold over from earlier times when horse drawn wagons were used) but
was, in fact, a small store built on an early 30's flat bed Ford truck. Dad
built it himself.. It was stocked with the most frequently used essential
items that people needed--flour, coffee, sugar, salt, lard, thread, needles,
can goods and a sack or two of feed. The chicken coop tied to the back and
the egg box inside were for barter payments--the same as at the store. A
regular route was established along all the country roads from Simms to near
Dekalb and New Boston, usually following the mail routes. Two or three days
a week, we took the wagon and left early, stopping at every house. We took
orders for the next trip for anything we didn't have. My brother Boyce did a
lot of the driving, with Mom and I along. Dad sometimes went with the rest
of us at the store. I was the chief chicken catcher and egg-counter. Lloyd
Canant
Thanks for the memories Tom.
--
Ross
www.myoldtools.com
Mark Jerde
> I grew up, literally, in my grandfather's country store. I still
> have the brass National cash register and the wooden cheese boxes
> where he kept the little books for all the credit customers. Under
> the counter was the box of all the little books that he didn't
> collect because someone had hard times, the same folks that had a
> current book usually.
Thanks. This went immediately in my "keepers" folder.
-- Mark
Silvan
>> Not all the good local stores vanish. McLendon's Hardware in Renton, WA
> Mclendon Hardware
> 710 S 2nd St
> Renton, WA 98055
> 206-235-3582
>
> That's all I find.
I missed the start of this thread (none of my servers caught it) so I'm
trying to read between the lines here. Are you saying those three are the
last hardware stores left in America?
I see hardware stores all over the place. We have one here in town even.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <dmmc...@users.sourceforge.net>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
mttt
"Australopithecus scobis" <nos...@die.spammers.die> wrote in message
news:1068ib1...@corp.supernews.com...
>
> I live in Wisconsin. I often wish I could drop in to McGukin's. It's a
> _really_ inconvenient drive...
>
> Walk into that store, wave your hands and say "I need a..." The sales
> person immediately says, "Right over here." Mind readers.
Amazing. I've tried to stump 'em with some pretty esoteric stuff. Can't
decided what's more impressive: (a) that they stock it (b) that their help
knows where it is.
Let me know if you want me to take a camcorder up there for you.
Be happy to drop it in the mail! :)
jo4hn
[snip]
> Amazing. I've tried to stump 'em with some pretty esoteric stuff. Can't
> decided what's more impressive: (a) that they stock it (b) that their help
> knows where it is.
>
> Let me know if you want me to take a camcorder up there for you.
> Be happy to drop it in the mail! :)
>
And c) that they know WTF you're talking about. My dad worked in Berg
Hardware in Pasadena, CA for many years. Amazing. You ask for six 5/8
phillips head brass flat head screws and the rolling ladder moves a bit,
he climbs up several steps, reaches out, pulls out a small box, and
counts out your six screws. They are still in business AFAIK.
mahalo,
jo4hn
John Emmons
pretty lucky here in Pasadena, we've got Berg, a good True Value, 2 OSH,
couple of decent lumberyards, a relatively new Rockler store, a brand new
independent woodworking store called "American Woodworking", "John King"
power tools, and "Arroyo Hardwoods" for good but expensive hardwoods.
There's a rumour floating around that the Borg might be opening in Northwest
Pasadena, haven't seen much in the way of development yet though.
John
"jo4hn" <jo...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:D609c.2616$lt2...@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
John Keeney
"Jerry Gilreath" <jfo...@inNOSPAMsightbb.com> wrote in message
> It's on Preston Highway, just north of Indian Trail. Kinda close to
> Godfathers. South of the Waterston Xway.
Big white building on the west side (I-65 side) of the road?
I've been there, I thought from the empty look of the place
I had stumbled into a going out of business sell and that it
was an "Ace" store. Do I have the wrong store or did I
misunderstand the look?
patriarch
... a fine rememberance of his family. Thank you, Ross.
My grandmother worked at the old grocery store in Point Arena, CA for
easily 45 years, probably more. Same sort of establishment, in a
beautiful, but remote area of the California coast. Even today, it takes
most of a day to drive there from the Bay Area, and yet it isn't all that
many miles. You just can't go all that fast up State Highway 1. Not that
you'd want to. The coast is a beautiful place.
What I remember about my grandparents most fondly is that they always had a
huge garden, and raised all kinds of fowl, as well as a few larger animals.
There were three chest freezers full of food in the outbuilding, and the
pantries were always full of jars and crocks and the like. And the two of
them together couldn't have totaled 300 lbs.
When I got a little older, I noticed that there were some 'nice things'
showing up in their home. And as they had always been frugal, this seemed
a bit out of place. But these were things being produced by the 'artist
community' in Mendocino County, beautiful things, now gracing their modest
home. And I came to understand that my grandmother, who knew almost
everyone in the south part of the county, understood who was having trouble
paying the grocery bill, and what they needed, and so went out of the way
to invite people over to dinner, and sent them home with food, and love,
from their abundance.
They're gone now, passed on maybe fifteen years ago. When my father
handled their estate, he found notes in the wills, and on most of the art,
that it should be returned to the artists, or their families, with their
thanks. And that was done with gladness and gratitude for the loan of
their talent.
My grandfather asked me, before he died, what I wanted from the estate. I
told him honestly, that he and gramdma had given me everything I ever
needed in this life, and more. Now that I have taken up working wood, I am
curious as to which woodworker from Ft Bragg made to glorious dining room
table and chair set, sometime in the late seventies. Grandma told us the
old one had been just fine (the old one now is serving the fifth
generation, at my son's home), but that this woodworker really needed the
work, and it was so beautiful. I'd bet, remembering the piece, that the
builder spent more than a few minutes in Jim Krenov's shop...
And we plant enough vegetables for the neighborhood to enjoy to this day,
and remember Gladys & Dutch fondly as we do.
Patriarch
dave in fairfax
> I missed the start of this thread (none of my servers caught it) so I'm
> trying to read between the lines here. Are you saying those three are the
> last hardware stores left in America?
> I see hardware stores all over the place. We have one here in town even.
Doug wondered if his favorite hardware store was still in
business. He thought that they'd expanded to 3 stores, but that
was a long time back. I did a search and found him 3-5 in the
area. It depended on whether 2 of them were the kids branching
out or not.
Dave in Fairfax
--
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/
Steven G. Kargl
Doug Winterburn <dlwint...@yahoo.com> writes:
> On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 19:22:58 -0500, Tom Watson wrote:
>
> [snip of great story]
>
>> I'll miss Moser's Hardware Store.
>>
>> I just wish that my children had been old enough to appreciate it
>> before it went away.
>
> survive the assualt of the Borg, but have expanded to 3 or 4 stores (not
> sure how many as I left the area 11 years ago).
>
If you're in the Seattle area, you need to visit Hardwick's on
Roosvelt Way near the University of Washington. To me it's a
step back in time.
--
Steve
Steven G. Kargl
Tom Watson <tjwa...@hotmail.com> writes:
> When Mr. Buck Moser decided to close up the hardware store everybody
> generations of the Moser family had stood behind that counter and Mr.
> Buck had done it for about the longest of them all, spending
> seventy-some of his eighty-five years working at and then running the
> store.
>
Every place that I have live has their "Moser's Hardware Store".
Thanks for the story. I nominate your post as Post-of-the-Month.
--
Steve
tshiker
>>> When Mr. Buck Moser decided to close up the hardware store
everybody
around here felt like they were about to lose a family member. Six
generations of the Moser family had stood behind that counter and Mr.
Buck had done it for about the longest of them all, spending
seventy-some of his eighty-five years working at and then running the
store<<<
Agnew and Taylor
Lake Ronkonkoma NY
Started out as a dirt road general store/phone exchange/post
office/hardware store.
Open the door and a cow bell let the help know you were there. Walk
down any isle and you could hear the old floor boards protest your
arrival. Smell the big pot of coffee always hot and free. Go on a
sunday after church and you were sure to run into half the
congragation (after the "Blue laws" were ended that is). The store
grew up with the town.
Stocked every thing from coal furnace caulk to udder balm to snow
sleds. If you needed it chances were they sold it. If it was broken
chances were they knew how to fix it and had the parts. I don't
remember when they opened (some time around 1900) but I remember
holding on to my fathers plaid shirt as he walked into the store and
right to the exact spot to find what he came in for.
The store is still open and I love to take my son with me when I go
into town for a visit. There is no less then 3 Borgs 1 Lowes and Two
Sears Hardware stores with in 10 miles of the place now. Lets hope
they can hold on.
Good Luck and God Speed
Tom S.
Silvan
> most of a day to drive there from the Bay Area, and yet it isn't all that
> many miles. You just can't go all that fast up State Highway 1. Not that
> you'd want to. The coast is a beautiful place.
Feh. The ocean's on the wrong side, and you never get to see the sun rise
out of it in the morning. :)
jo4hn
> patriarch wrote:
>
>
>>most of a day to drive there from the Bay Area, and yet it isn't all that
>>many miles. You just can't go all that fast up State Highway 1. Not that
>>you'd want to. The coast is a beautiful place.
>
>
> Feh. The ocean's on the wrong side, and you never get to see the sun rise
> out of it in the morning. :)
>
everything east of the San Andreas fault will fall into the Atlantic.
Then I'll get to see the sun rise out of the Atlantic. ;-)
mahalo,
jo4hn