Local Hardware Stores Hanging On

Despite a down economy and the looming threat of big box competitors, North Baltimore’s independent hardware stores have managed to stay in business.

Deborah Falkenhan, owner of , attributed the success of her and other small stores to a level of customer service you can’t find elsewhere. She said that she makes the extra effort to find something a customer needs, that a large chain may not.

"I try to find what people want at reasonable prices or provide a service at a reasonable price," Falkenhan said.

She also said that effort has been rewarded with customer loyalty. She also attributed some of that loyalty to an attitude among North Baltimore residents that supporting small local business is important because they add to a sense of community by participating and contributing to a neighborhood.

"If I wanted to live by a big box store I’d live in the county," Falkenhan said.

Falkenhan’s may also have benefitted greatly from a recent decision by Lowe’s, a big box home retail store, to of the proposed 25th Street Station in Remington. But the project still includes Wal-Mart, which concerns Falkenhan.

"The Wal-Mart is a worry for everybody, not just small hardware stores, but for every small business," Falkenhan said. 

Jeff Pratt, owner of agreed that the locally owned stores have benefitted from the city having limited space for big box stores.

"I think that we’re very fortunate in that we don’t have a box store that close to us," Pratt said.

Although he believes that his Roland Park store may be far enough away that it may not be drastically impacted by the proposed 25th Street Station development. Pratt said that his customers are generally fairly affluent and would come to him out of convenience rather than go bargain hunting at a larger retailer.

"We’re fortunate to have that [customer] support," Pratt said.

Pratt, whose family has owned the store for four generations dating back to 1896, said because the store is so established, they’ve learned to keep it going through lean times. In fact, Pratt’s grandfather converted the store from a grocery to hardware store as a reaction to losing perishable goods and working with rationing during World War II.

But some storeowners remain very concerned about the future of their business.

Daniel Friedlander, owner of , said the financial collapse and the impact on contractors have caused him to lose many of the commercial accounts he depended on because the contractors have gone under.

"It gets harder and harder to really make a go of it," Friedlander said.

Friedlander, like , said another major problem for him is that the banks aren’t lending to small businesses.

"Try to go to the bank and get a small business loan," Friedlander said.  "Small businesses really can’t get anything to help them out."

He was also cynical that government would do anything to help a small business like his. He said politicians would promise to help, but that he was skeptical that they would come through with the needed aid.

"You’re certainly not going to get any help from the state that I’m aware of," he said.

But Friedlander said he is hopeful that some of the specialty services at Sirkis, such as screen mending and glass repair, would help them moving forward.

"We offer what a lot o things [other stores] can’t offer," Friedlander said.

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