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Collierville's McGinnis Hardware to close its doors after 146 years
The Memphis Commercial Appeal ^ | November 29, 2012 | Matt Woo

Posted on 11/29/2012 8:59:07 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

While searching through the plastic containers full of screws and bolts at McGinnis Hardware, John Ashworth stopped, picked up a 1 ½-inch metal flat washer and showed it to employees.

"I don't know where else you'll find something like that," said Ashworth, 79, who has been a customer for the last 40 years.

For Ashworth and other longtime McGinnis Hardware patrons, the days of driving to the Collierville Town Square to pick up tools, plumbing equipment and other home repair items soon will come to an end.

McGinnis Hardware will close its doors at 99 N. Center St. Dec. 22, after 146 years. Store owners blamed the sluggish economy and competition from big box stores. McGinnis has three full-time employees and one part-time worker.

Over the last several years, Jan Russell, part owner and manager, said sales have been on a steady decline as competition from larger hardware franchises cut into the store's profits...

(Excerpt) Read more at commercialappeal.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; History; Local News
KEYWORDS: economy; hardware; layoffs; tennessee
What will we look like in four years?
1 posted on 11/29/2012 8:59:18 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Everybody B goin' Galt. IMHO, that's a good thing. Let's see where Bullwinkle Obama comes up with the money for his Soviet Amerika when there is no more money for the boy to steal.

You know what Margaret Thatcher said about socialism. She was 100% correct.

2 posted on 11/29/2012 9:04:16 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Don't tax me bro! Tax that guy over there!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Even if it weren’t for Obanomics...the “Mom and Pop” stores are being forced out. And have been for some time.

I truly miss the family owned busineses in my tiny town. But they just couldn’t compete with the big box retailers in the neighboring larger towns. Heck! Sonic is putting the DQ out of business.

I think in four years all we will see is Home Depot, Dollar General and chain grocery stores. It might not even take four years.


3 posted on 11/29/2012 9:12:20 PM PST by berdie
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Greedy Capitalistic b@st@rd one-percenters, getting rich for the past 146 years on the backs of the oppressed ordinary working stiff.

It’s just a damn shame that they couldn’t have stuck it out long enough to leave the business to the kids so that the government could have nailed them with a 50% death tax.


4 posted on 11/29/2012 9:12:20 PM PST by technically right
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To: null and void

it’s only 4 employees this time.

But I think this shows that many businesses worked on very small margins and have now been into the red


5 posted on 11/29/2012 9:12:49 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: berdie

We have a GREAT Ace HW Store in town packed to the gills with everything you could need. Actually a far greater selection than the big box joints nearby. The owner personally thanks every shopper for their business and loves to chat about families. Most of his employees are really knowledgeable about their products, too. He runs a great business.


6 posted on 11/29/2012 9:21:53 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

We had a similar place across from an apartment we lived in for a while...except this was a combination hardware store and pharmacy. Seriously. It was pretty much the only place you could go in Durham where the employees were guaranteed to speak intelligible English and know what they were talking about, both on the pharmacy side and the hardware store side.

}:-)4


7 posted on 11/29/2012 9:27:48 PM PST by Moose4 (...and walk away.)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

Seems like either you come up with the money to “donate” to the rats or your niche is in big trouble. Just today Costco cozies up to Obama and suddenly the a-hole Biden is talking up Costco.


8 posted on 11/29/2012 9:29:40 PM PST by Aria ( 2008 & 2012 weren't elections - both were a coup d'etat.)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Yup, we got an ACE just like that in our town. Family owned for years and they know eveyone. Great selection of products and the staff can tell you what you need for any application. Love all of the dogs laying around the store too.


9 posted on 11/29/2012 9:32:29 PM PST by technically right
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Rimshot Joe Biden might have thought this was part of Barry’s “Small Business Saturday” so he headed over to Costco.


10 posted on 11/29/2012 9:34:10 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Don't tax me bro! Tax that guy over there!)
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To: technically right

Ours had a great store-cat who slept all day on top of the cash register to stay warm. Beautiful orange tabby sprawled all over. He’s moved on, unfortunately, and they didn’t get a replacement. It was always nice scratching his ears while paying.


11 posted on 11/29/2012 9:35:57 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: ProtectOurFreedom; berdie

We have a great Ace store in our area also and I always make it a point to go there if I need to buy something they carry. They are a little more expensive but the service and knowledge level is superb and it’s important that we make sure places like this survive.

In addition to the Home Depot, etc., I suspect Wal-Mart will be around for a while. Over the years I have seen them move into small cities, drastically cut prices and within a short period of time all the other little mom and pop places had to close. I really missed our small local drugstore with its soda fountain and jars full of penny and nickle candy, the butcher who knew exactly how each patron liked their cuts of meat, the baker who always had a cookie for any child coming in with their mom. It really was a reflection of what life was all about in days gone by. But all of that is gone now.


12 posted on 11/29/2012 9:40:34 PM PST by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: Grams A

Our local drug store with a small toy section for the kids and a soda fountain lasted until about 1990 or so. Now our town and the adjoining towns have two Walgreens and two CVS, all within about a mile of each other. The old way of life was so pleasant. Luckily our downtown is quaint, still vibrant, and the city has done a good job keeping most franchises out.


13 posted on 11/29/2012 9:50:50 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

When you compare the Walgreens and CVS to what we used to have I wonder how we possibly survived with all that stuff. Of course if we wanted toilet tissue,breakfast cereal or dog food, we went to the grocery store. Best place in the world to get a milkshake or a black and white sundae (marshmallow on one half and hot fudge on the other) or a wonderful banana split. Our pharmacist always was able to whip up something for whatever ailed you. Soda jerk was a job filled by kids after school and the owners always supported and attended all the high school sports events.

Yes, it was a lot more pleasant. Totally different kind of people and value system back then, too. Glad you have been able to maintain your downtown area.


14 posted on 11/29/2012 11:17:00 PM PST by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
John is an expert about Confederate military saddles. He's about as solid a prepper as one can be.
15 posted on 11/30/2012 3:17:15 AM PST by vetvetdoug
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

30 yrs ago, I lived in South Philly, unless the demographics change (u know what I mean), there is a hardware store at 5th and Porter called Bruskins Hardware. The very best hardware store I’ve ever been to. Unless the owner doesn’t have family to take over, I can’t imagine they’ll ever close.
PS, if you ever visit for a cheese steak you gotta stop at Bruskins. He always had great Alaskan Iditarod pics plus many other neat things.


16 posted on 11/30/2012 3:20:02 AM PST by Undecided 2012
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To: Undecided 2012

At present, I live outside a small Texas town in rural Texas. They have this small hardware store that you can tell it wasn’t long ago had that cowboy overhang and wood planks out front with a dirt road. Since the big box stores are 10 miles south in the next town, they’re real good about having small stuff.
Sadly, our area is growing by leaps and bounds, I can’t imagine a big box store won’t be here in 3 yrs, putting them out of business.


17 posted on 11/30/2012 3:28:03 AM PST by Undecided 2012
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To: Grams A

Funny thing. There are two nearby “cities” (both county seats) on the interstate 16 miles apart. The first city was Walmart’s first choice, but the local business community didn’t want the competition. The second city welcomed Walmart. The first city has steadily lost population and jobs, and its downtown is basically empty. The second city is steady/growing, has plenty of local businesses (including a great hardware store) and its optometrists chased the Walmart optometrist department out of business.


18 posted on 11/30/2012 5:13:02 AM PST by DeaconBenjamin (A trillion here, a trillion there, soon you're NOT talking real money)
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