It's the end of an era for one of the oldest hardware stores in the nation. After 235 years, Elwood Adams Hardware in Worcester, Massachusetts, is closing its doors.
The store, a fixture on Main Street since 1782, has been selling hard to find hardware and tools in the oldest brick building in the city longer than the United States has had presidents.
"1970 I used to come here to buy wholesale for the lumber yard, and I’ve been here ever since — 47 years," said customer Ron Bousquet, with R & K Home Improvement Co.
Assistant store manager Mark Lannon has worked at Elwood Adams for 35 years.
"I started here — it was my first full time job," he said.
Lannon started at the store just after high school, when the store was celebrating its 200th anniversary, and he never left.
Now he’s preparing to close up shop as Elwood Adams has become a victim of big box stores, online retailers and an aging customer base.
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"Our customer base is getting older and the grandkids and the sons of these guys are picking up their iPhone and not walking in the building anymore," Lannon said.
But it’s clear to their loyal customers that Elwood Adams is about much more than just hardware.
"It’s really bad, I didn’t think I’d take it this bad but I am," Bousquet said getting choked.
Customer T.J. Poplawski who works nearby said he will miss the store and staff.
Lannon says the feeling is mutual.
"Wherever I go, I hope some of these people are still in my life, I hope to see them in another capacity," said Lannon. "But it is tough because we’ve got some really, really close friends, not just customers."
Elwood Adams Hardware says they’re planning to close up shop sometime in the next few weeks but they’re hoping for a buyer for the building so the history can live.
