My Old Tools wrote:
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

dave in fairfax wrote:

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
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/

"Jerry Gilreath" wrote in message
news:TZB8c.94077$po.721918@attbi_s52...
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?

"John Keeney" wrote in message
...

"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
In article ,
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.

"Australopithecus scobis" wrote in message
...


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!

mttt wrote:

[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

They are indeed still in business. Best hardware store in town. We're
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" wrote in message
news
mttt wrote:

[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

"My Old Tools" wrote:

.... 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

Silvan wrote:
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/

In article m,
Doug Winterburn 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.

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).


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

In article ,
Tom Watson writes:
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.


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

Tom Watson wrote in message . ..
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.

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.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/

Silvan wrote:
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.

OK , Bunky, just keep in mind that when the big earthquake hits,
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

In article ,
(tshiker) wrote:

Tom Watson wrote in message
. ..
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.

I live in Oak Park, Il just west of Chicago and at the end of the block
is Gilchrist's, a small old-tyme hardware. Started as an offshoot from
teh plumbing company in town. Several years ago, the older Gilchrist who
still lives over the store with his wife of some 40-50 years sold the
store to another budding curmudgeon who has kept it as is. Old maple
floors and it's small, perhaps 800 sq/ft plus the basement and back
building. Stuff hanging on the walls, bins and shelves behind the cash
register, and all the little bins above the wall showcase with the
handles where you find hinges, etc. In the back corner is the shelves,
with all the nails, screws, etc. Out on the floor are the 4 ft high
shelves with glue, etc. And for the most part, he's got the every day
stuff and the prices are fair. That's all the neat stuff, but there is a
downside. There's lots of stuff he doesn't have. He can order the stuff
buf sometimes...for ex, I use Flecto-Varathane's "Natural Oil" for my
antiques and such. No one here carries it. I tried 20 hardware and HD's,
Menards. Jack said he could order it. That was a Month ago. He has to
get if from one place he orders from every 2-3 weeks. In part it's
Rust-Oleum's policies where some minimum order has to be made, so jack
has to go to someone where he can order a few cans.

However, I go there to get whatever I can to help him stay in business.
He seems to have quite a few contractors that come in for supplies and
have accounts or just pay on a card or cash. Still, he has some of the
old stuff no one has, but Jack surely doesn't have the same knowledge
that the old owner Andy did, but he's also 40 years younger too. The
store seems to have quite a few workers there, sometimes three taking
care of customers, so I can only wish them well and buy what I can. It's
nice having this blast from the past so close.

--
Jim Polaski
"The measure of a man is what he will do
knowing he will get nothing in return."