You go into Pfau's and say "I want a tool to make a hole to put a doohickey through." The guys in Pfau's then rummage around the back room and come back with just what you need.
A sense of humor never hurt, either.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Pfau's
You go into Pfau's and say "I want a tool to make a hole to put a doohickey through." The guys in Pfau's then rummage around the back room and come back with just what you need.
A sense of humor never hurt, either.
My kind of hardware shop.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love Pfau's! Good call taking photos there, dad! It's tough to catch in photos, but I always loved the smell and the creaky old wooden floorboards there.
ReplyDeletePS, great shirt - I'm a size S/M next time you're there:)
I love this kind of places. Most of our hardware store are still like this, but big chains are moving in with incompetent sellers and no 'back room' miracles...
ReplyDeleteWe used to have those kinds of hardware stores here too but both went out of business when Lowe's and Home Depot showed up nearby. There is one left in Arcanum about 20 miles away and it is a big one but had everything the old ones had and then some.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can find the time to visit my blog about my experiences in Japan way back when men wore ropes for belts and the women wore baggy pants instead of kimonos. It was a time when you were lucky to have a hibachi in the house and public bath house in walking distance. My Travels in Japan
Wow looks wonderful, I would love shopping there as well!
ReplyDeleteLéia :)
I really miss these stores! We have one on the east side of Ocala, but some of their clerks aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. Still, it often beats searching acres of aisles in Lowe's, never finding what you want, but finding rather that both clerks are out to lunch!
ReplyDeleteI remember a hardware store ( "Hardware Hank's" ) in my hometown! I wonder if it's still in business??
ReplyDeleteI love to poke around in these type of stores.
ReplyDeleteYou made me think of a similar hardware store in a small town northwest of Phoenix. When my good friend had his cabin there, I visited the local hardware store several times. It was the same kind of place. They had anything you needed and if they didn't have it, they had a way to fashion something that would work. Great places!!
ReplyDeleteWe have one of these located on our historic town square. A group of gentlemen gather there a few days a week to chat/gossip. As the owner of an old home I have gone into the store many a time with some outdated something and the owner would go search in the back and find me a replacement. You can't get that kind of service at Lowe's!
ReplyDeleteI wish there were more stores like this still around. Although, I will say that most people at our Lowe's are quite knowledgable and can find you a tool to make a hole to put a doohickey through. But it's not the same as a local store.
ReplyDeleteI wish we still had something like that here! How wonderful that they are still in business.
ReplyDeleteTo Leif: Yup, Hardware Hanks is still around and it's among the few remaining. Small, rural areas often still have these stores, that is, if WalMart hasn't arrived.
ReplyDeleteOh I miss businesses like this!
ReplyDeleteWe have one little hardware store left in our town....sadly we all are waiting to see what happens to it as we are getting a large Hardware company this summer.
I love these kinds of hardware stores. We have one in town and you never know what you will find there...even ice cream cones in the summer!
ReplyDelete☼ Sunny
I am glad to see an old hardware store like this running so well... We have a favorite in Atlanta and a few between here and there. Love the doohickey reference.
ReplyDeleteBises,
G
There's just something about a good hardware shop that makes it so interesting and fun to browse in.
ReplyDeleteI can hear the wood floor creaking now as I wander to the back of the store in search of a thing-a-mah-bob. Oh, and I definitely would hear paint cans shaking too. This is a classic store. I wonder what the secret is to their longevity. (If your management encouraged chitcat on the job, you'd know.) P.S.: I'll look for you in the premium line at the gas station.
ReplyDeleteI love it Jack - nothing like this to be found here!
ReplyDeleteInteresting... very interesting... we don't have such stores here.
ReplyDeleteGreat response today. SRQ asked why they have longevity. I think they survive here but aren't getting rich. They have a great location in a high income town, with CVS and coffee shops nearby and cheap municipal parking behind. The population skews older and traditional. They have had this location forever, and the sales clerks work there for decades, so everyone knows who they are and where they are. People would rather pop into Pfau's on the way to CVS and buy a thing-a-mah-bob for 79 cents while they think of it, rather than making a special trip to Lowe's and walking 20 minutes to buy it for 69 cents.
ReplyDeleteWe have a hardware store near us that is in its 3rd generation of the same family running it and I always try to go there first when I need something! Great post!
ReplyDeleteWell I hope it lasts until 2040 before its next renovation.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the old hardware stores are hard to find nowadays! Lucky YOU!
ReplyDeleteLooks a bit like the inside of my dad's garage! I love shops where they actually give you good service and sell the things you need in the amounts you need. Hope it keeps going.
ReplyDeleteI love that photo there's so much going on. It reminds me of a really good oil painting you know where everyone's looking at someone else, else doing their own thing...
ReplyDeleteI love stores like this. You really don't see them much but when I find one I make sure to go back again.
ReplyDeleteI have a thing for hardware stores. If they have wooden floors, even better. Used to love looking at the nail displays. Couldn't believe all the sizes and shapes available.
ReplyDelete