Since the invasion of Ace, Lowe’s, and Home Depot,
neighborhood hardware stores have disappeared in droves. In many towns, they
are long forgotten. Clarke Hardware in downtown Culpeper still manages to
withstand the onslaught of big business. It always charmed me as a kid and even
more so as an adult. It is the last bastion of small town America and personal
service.
It sits on the corner of one of the main drags through town
and clutters the sidewalk with red Radio Flyer wagons, potted herbs, stacks of
aluminum storage cans, and garden rakes. The two large windows display more
Radio Flyer tricycles and Faberware coffee percolators. The building hasn’t
changed in decades. Its wares haven’t either, which is our gain. Cramped rows
of vegetable seeds encroach on towers of canning jars ready for the harvest.
Home repair haberdashery nestles next to mouse and moth traps. The second room
is a collection of house wares taken straight from your grandmother’s kitchen,
complete with cast iron skillets, enamelware baking sets, and generous portion
crock pots. Ignore the mosquito repellent and the digital thermometer, and you
could be back in 1955.
The best part by far is the friendly service. Have a problem
and need a solution? The quiet gentleman at the counter will take you right to
the product. Behind his pale blue eyes is a wealth of home and garden
information, and he knows every product in the store. The price is always
right, and the welcome-to-browse attitude makes me wonder why I would ever shop
anywhere else.
When I think of it, I try to always check there for my goods
before purchasing at a big name store. I’ve even caught myself wishing I could
set up a registry there! I dread the day it will close. The owner is no longer
young, and few young people seem interested in shopping there. But while it
lasts, I enjoy it. The sign on the door mentions, “Free Amusement for Spouses”
or something along those lines. Looking around, I wonder how anyone could get
bored.
