Hardware store nostalgia

[TripleR]

I can picture a young 3R riding thru Mayberry with his sweetheart on the handlebars lol

You are in SEMO right? Are you south of Cape Girardeau or anywhere near the bootheel? Thats a fascinating area

Actually I was a country boy, so I didn't get to ride my girl in the big city of 1200 where my city girl lived. Until our road had gravel on it, it was mostly sand with short strips of gumbo in between. We had to push our bicycles through the sand to the gumbo stretches where we could ride. Man that gravel was a lifesaver.

Yes, we are south of Cape and I spent much of my career working in the Bootheel which due to the New Madrid earth quake and topography in addition to the plantation mentality which hung on much longer than in most places truly is interesting. It was all swamp until the area was drained and was originally owned by Spain.

It is so flat down there it was widely believed that we didn't declare someone an absconder for two days as we could still see them running down the cotton rows.:laughing:

 

[caps]

Ha, I built a crystal radio last week for my grandkids too. Boring - not interested - no video - not even stereo. They have no sense of wonder with technology. I remember building many of them as a child using oatmeal boxes to wind coils on, razor blades and pencil leads as diodes, even made my own earphones from small horseshoe magnets, soup cans and fine wire salvaged from old transformers. I fell asleep many a times with my headphones on listening to the WVA stations that would come in at night. I remember even having a store-bought one once. It was shaped like a little rocket ship with a nose cone that would move in and out to tune the coil and two alligator clips on the bottom to attach the ground and antenna.

 

[Will_C]

I was lucky...in my small village of 600 people we had a John Deere dealer and a Western Auto next door to each other. The barber shop was in the back of the Western Auto, so a typical saturday morning was getting a haircut, wandering through the sporting goods section of the Western Auto and then visitng the JD dealer-who also carried hardware. My first bike came from the Western Auto, and the second was a John deere (anyone remember those?)

Will

 

[tcreeley]

How many of us ever bought and built a working crystal radio kit? I know I built one, and was thrilled to death that it actually worked.

I had one I put together- with its long antenna wire stretching out to the apple tree. I picked up our local town radio station- WSBS.

 

[Ted Summey]

Wow! What a flood of memories! Old hardware stores, bicycles and crystal radio sets! Check, Check and Check. We still have a store that used to be a Western Auto it has just switched to a non-chain independent store. What's even more cool is our old time hardware store, Tuttle Hardware, still owned and run by members of the Tuttle family (nephews I think). The store is 10 minutes away. Bill and Nat will actually help you solve a problem, find parts and answer questions. They have full service lawn equipment sales and service. I'd rather shop thre than a box store any day. The old creaky oiled wood floors, and shelves full of all the things you need to keep a home and farm running short of tractor parts.

 

[QueBota]

When I was growing up in the mid to late 1960's we had a local hardware store, great place, can still recall the smell walking in the door.

Guy that ran it was into electronics and had a TV repair section. As a young fella I was always amazed by the "Tube Tester" on the counter.

I can still remember the store like it was yesterday, could have been a movie set for "old fashioned hardware store",
complete with a cast of characters that worked and hung out there.

The guys that worked there were knowledgeable and helpful, customer service second to none.

Store eventually had to close due to competion from Big Box Stores,

The local barber shop is still there, 3rd generation, it is to barber shops what the hardware store was to hardware stores.
Will be a sad day when/if they ever go out of business. Reminds me of Floyd's on the Andy Griffith(sp) show.

I feel old.

Dave

 

[toy]

I remember a Foster's Hardware store as a kid. He weighed the nails and wrapped everything you bought in brown paper. The tools were real tools, real quality and American made. There was the cheaper line, and what a carpenter would pleased to use. The really good hand saws were out of reach, and there was a selection. Most hardware stores today sell junk, poorly designed, not made in the US. It was a real pleasure to poke around in this store. But it faded to be replaced by the franchise hardware stores. I buy at the local store and try to stay away from home depot and lowes. In 1958 or so my family purchased a 7" aluminum Millers Falls skillsaw. (turned into Porter Cable) It was made about 3 hours west of us. It had use until about 10 years ago, and then it just went with the sale of my mother's house. I had the bushings replaced 3-4 x. Great saw.

I have a Millers Falls power hacksaw [patent in 1800's and made in 1800's], I still occasionally use it. It has been converted from an overhead belt drive to have its own motor mounted on it to drive the belt.

 

[dirt ditch]

Growing up we had a Western Auto at one end of main street and a Gambles at the other. Still have a metal cased "Revelation" 30 cal. Gun cleaning kit that's in great shape. The best thing was what ever you bought had some quality in it so stuff lasted. Gone are the days you could buy the wife a washer and all your fishing gear at the same time.

 

[kootch88]

Everyone wants the Western Autos of the world, but no one is willing to support Americans like this guy anymore. Instead we talk about it, then run right down to Wally world, get cruddy service, unlike these folk, then ***** that American jobs and businesses are going overseas when we won't even support our local guys. I've said this many times on this site, my wife complains because I shop as mush as possible at the local True Value, even though I know I am paying more a lot of the time, but he is a great guy, cares and does the small things like this person's folks. I hope in my 20 - 30 years left I don't see the end of the local hardware store, but I fear it is a matter of time, and few of us care enough to support them. I wish us so called Americans would put our money where our mouth is and support the local guy instead of a mega store who could care less if your bike seat is crooked or not.

 

[J F]

Everyone wants the Western Autos of the world, but no one is willing to support Americans like this guy anymore.

Yes.