I've said it before, I'll say it again. Hardware stores are some the sturdiest businesses in New York. In nearly every neighborhood in New York, you'll find at least one longstanding, family-owned hardware store. They give a guy hope.
Vercesi Hardware on E. 23rd Street was one of the oldest in town—and increasingly incongruous on a major thoroughfare that had virtually nothing old about it. Sadly, it finally gave up the ghost last November. Now, it look like the building, and two others next to it, will be torn down and replaces with a 20-story condo tower.
Vercesi Hardware actually wasn't a hardware store for all of its 100-year existence. It began in 1912 as a sheet music store. (Tin Pan Alley was nearby.) Then, it was a radio and television store during the 1930s. It only began to sell hardware and housewares beginning in 1960. There's adaptability for you.
Use-ta be a small one of a kind hardware store on Hudson in the West Village. The family with 2 beautiful daughters lived in an apartment over the store. They were linked to the Garber hardware store but I think their name was Goldstein. Disappeared a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteWell crap!
ReplyDeleteI had my very first set of house keys made at that store, when I was 17 and firat living on my own.
As you said, Hardware store is one of the sturdiness works. Managing one it’s hard because you need to do a lot of things such as inventory, expiration date and cleanliness. But hardware store is one of the in demand needs of the people for their daily needs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Harris. I used to just work as a warehouse worker and we were always called to hardware stores. How often does the store do an inventory check? It seems like every month. http://www.siweklumber.com/
ReplyDeleteI love that store. Shopped there for years.
ReplyDeleteThis just goes to show that hardware stores will always be something that we need. People like to be independent. When something in the home breaks, the route to independence is going to the local hardware stores, buying the necessary supplies, and fixing it. There is nothing more American than that.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dotsacehardware.com/hardware/
I remember that store, there used to be a model train store nearby.... Early 80's. Guess all those are gone now, many neighborhoods had train, model and toy stores.
ReplyDelete