A Shining Singularity of 1896--the Glory of Lost Hardware Stores

JF Ptak Science Books   Post 2032  

 

When I was a kid I liked to go to Reiman's hardware store on Victory Blvd., Staten Island, New York, where there was everything and everything was in its place, though not every place was in its place.  There was a certain untidiness to the store that made it seem as though everything was a jumble, except it wasn't.  The order was controlled by a collection of hardware men who seemed to know everything and absolutely knew where everything was.  I would walk in, go to the back, hold up the widget that I needed to the Old Man, and then he'd go to a half-wall filled with tiny boxes filled with tiny things, and find what I needed--or something better. The store was biggish, but very quiet, given all of the surface area of all of those thousands of tiny cardboard boxes.  It was all enveloped with the hardware store equivalent of the old bookstore aroma. 

These were the thoughts that sprang to mind when I saw a post at the SecretPlans.org site displaying that robot-like figure riding the hardware bike. It is found in what must be the bible of 19th century books on the keeping of a hardware store, appropriately titled The American Hardware Store, written by R.R. Williams in 1896. It is remarkable for its organization and for its lovely presentation.  And of course for its very prominent  display of memory of what was necessary in building and maintenance from a hundred years ago.  There are instructions to the store owner on what and how to exhibit, with images of displays of axe heads, hurricane lamp glass,scythes, plumbs, hatchets, horseshoes, scale beams, belts, pumps, oil cloths, and much more of the stuff that is mostly gone.

Thanks to this manual I think that when you go back in time and into that hardware store of 1896 you'll be ready.