Three Cheers for Local Hardware Store

I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older or the troubled times we live in or maybe a combination of both but I find myself feeling very nostalgic these days.

I am not one who laments about the “good old days” because I think when you really get down to it every generation uses that more so to sum up how simpler things used to be.  And there is no question that life in general certainly moved at a much slower pace “back in the day” which for me might be the 60s & 70s but is truly based on your age more than anything.

A recent experience brought me back to thinking about the local hardware store which for me growing up in Seaside Heights was McDevitt’s on the boulevard.  My father would send me there often to pick up little odds and ends in which the total purchase would be a dollar or two.  No matter what was on the list there was a pretty good chance they had it.

Of course like many of you I find myself often at Home Depot or Lowe’s when it comes to a variety of items and they are hard to match.  But there’s still something to be said for the local hardware store and fortunately we have some around.

The one you use is likely close to your home, places like Ken’s Hardware, Beaver Dam Hardware, Lakehurst Hardware, and Lavallette Hardware.  My local place is A’s Hardware & Garden Center in Bayville and this all came to mind because of an experience I had there Friday.

A good friend had volunteered to hang a TV for me and sent me there to get screws.  Turns out they were the wrong ones so I had to make a return trip and this time I brought the manual for the TV to make sure I got it right.  However I still managed to get the wrong screws through no fault of mine or the guy helping me. It had something to do with the thickness of the TV mount.

I made a third trip and this time got it right.  Each time the person helping me was friendly and also non-judgmental because frankly I’m not very sharp when it comes to just about anything involving, well, anything to do with my home.

Bottom line is anytime I go to A’s and ask for help I get it with a smile.  You can’t beat the big stores for selection and often price but the local hardware store is still an important part of the community and hopefully they never disappear.