Mail Call: September/October 2012

By Grit Staff
Published on September 13, 2012
1 / 5

We hope local hardware stores are not a thing of the past.
We hope local hardware stores are not a thing of the past.
2 / 5

When you walked into Louie’s local hardware store, the wood plank floors would creak, so he always knew when someone entered. The aisles were small, and the old metal drawers had pictures drawn by hand to let you know what was inside. Louie could tell you exactly what drawer contained what you needed, anywhere in the shop.
When you walked into Louie’s local hardware store, the wood plank floors would creak, so he always knew when someone entered. The aisles were small, and the old metal drawers had pictures drawn by hand to let you know what was inside. Louie could tell you exactly what drawer contained what you needed, anywhere in the shop.
3 / 5

Making hay the old fashioned way is a surprisingly easy task that takes you back to the land.
Making hay the old fashioned way is a surprisingly easy task that takes you back to the land.
4 / 5

We’re all about from-scratch foods, cooking the old-fashioned way, and sourcing food from local operations when it can’t be grown at home.
We’re all about from-scratch foods, cooking the old-fashioned way, and sourcing food from local operations when it can’t be grown at home.
5 / 5

I am hopeful that more chefs will connect with local producers. It’s just a crazy situation the way our food system works today.
I am hopeful that more chefs will connect with local producers. It’s just a crazy situation the way our food system works today.

Louie’s Local Hardware Store  

I was reading your article about old-time hardware stores (Local Hardware Stores Aim for the Future, March/April 2012), and it brought back a fond memory of my younger years. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and most people would not think of that as a small community, but that was the beauty of Brooklyn. I lived in an area called Marine Park. Though I left almost 25 years ago, I still remember it. We had a main shopping area that had three candy stores, a bike repair store, two German delis, a Met food — owned by a Holocaust survivor — where you could call, and we would deliver (that’s how I paid for my gas while in school), and Louie’s Hardware. When you walked into Louie’s, the wood plank floors would creak, so he always knew when someone entered. The aisles were small, and the old metal drawers had pictures drawn by hand to let you know what was inside.

Louie could tell you exactly what drawer contained what you needed, anywhere in the shop. We used to build go-carts, and Louie would come outside to see how much wood we needed, cut it for us, and then tell us what bolt we would need so we could steer the carts down the block without hitting a pole or a car. He never asked where we got the wheels, but he knew someone’s baby carriage was on blocks. For the holidays, he’d set up Christmas trees on the sidewalk and an old drum nearby with a merry fire burning to warm people as they picked out a tree.

We learned a lot of things by asking him questions or having him explain things to us. I know the store is no longer on Avenue S, but in my memories it will always be there with the creaking floors and Louie sitting by the cash register. 

Frank DiBella
Howell, New Jersey

You know, Frank, we never realize how important those experiences are until we’re older. Guys like Louie are responsible for doing their fair share of teaching and shaping youth without ever opening a textbook. We hope it’s not a thing of the past. — Editors

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