Good bye Hoene Hardware

Yes, it's true - after 114 years the beloved Hoene Hardware is closing its doors on Friday, May 31.  Connie and I did one last walk through and expressed our thanks and grief to Gus Hoene, Greg Nau, and Don Clark.

This store had a little bit of everything, from gift items to pesticides and garden gloves.  I remember the shelves filled with toys in the big front windows at Christmas time.  Everything was 50% off, but the shelves were not empty.  We were told that a liquidator would come next week and give them a bid for the remaining items and haul them all away.

Connie bought all their foam brushes anticipating the re-finishing of her bathroom cabinets.  Notice the pressed tin ceiling!

I had a nice visit with Gus and he told me how hard it was to come to the decision.  "The youngest generation purchasing things now days does it all from their smart phone.  They have no need to come in, touch, or compare in a store.  They read reviews and hit the order button because they know they can send it back, usually without paying extra postage.  We tried, but are not able to compete with that.  I asked him, "well, who is going to fix our broken washing machines or lay our carpet?" "that generation tries to fix their own broken things by watching YouTube videos, ordering parts, and they'll try maybe two different things and if they can't fix it, they just buy something new.  They have no qualms about sending stuff to the landfill or waiting for the repair man."

“The town went from an old wooden town, like you see in the movies, to all brick and concrete,” says Deb Clark, a fourth-generation resident of Cottonwood and co-owner of Hoene Hardware. “The buildings here now were mostly built between 1908 and 1910.” 

Businesses like Hoene Hardware still welcome neighbors and visitors alike to this community of fewer than 1,000 residents.  In the shadow of nearby grain elevators and a towering railroad trestle, a steady stream of cars and people move along the streets and sidewalks. 
“My dad’s grandfather, John Hoene, came to Cottonwood in 1899 from Greencreek, Illinois,” Clark explains. “He bought a sawmill and threshing machine, then in 1907 he decided to build the hardware store on lots across the street.  He opened for business in April 1908, and on July 20, 1908, fire destroyed downtown Cottonwood.” 
Her great-grandfather lost nearly everything, Clark says, but he bounced back selling building materials and hardware to help rebuild the town.  In 1912, he moved the store to its current location, and Hoene Hardware has been a fixture on Main Street ever since.  Visitors often comment as much on the building as on the inventory. 
“We have a pressed tin ceiling, and we always get people from the East who come in and want to buy the ceiling,” laughs Clark. 

Gus showed me a photo taken in the 1920's of Uncle John Hoene in his office and this same clock was on the wall.  "We haven't touched it since my Mom died...she was the only person who knew how to keep it ticking."

Maybe there is some meaning to being at the cemetery and then at the Hoene Hardware.  I'm tempted to write, Rest In Peace, good and faithful hometown hardware store!