Here's a photo that I shot on June 7, 2008 showing a scene familiar to all Lorainites:
Willow Hardware and the rest of the stores at the plaza. The sky is appropriately grey, as the building would soon meet with the wrecking crew on July 28, 2008.
It's hard to believe that it was only a little more than four years ago that Willow closed. It sure seems a lot longer than that to me. At least when I feel like going to an old-time hardware store, I can still go to
Sun Hardware in Sheffield Lake.
And here's the matching "now" shot from last weekend.
CVS had never been one of my favorite drug stores (I much prefer Ohio-based
Discount Drug Mart), so I never really go into this store. I suppose it is a plus, however, when
any national chain shows an interest in Lorain.
Nevertheless, the loss of businesses like Willow Hardware really leave a big hole in Lorain's soul that just can't be filled with a national chain.
My husband is still having Willow Hardware withdrawal
ReplyDeleteI've been gone too long, I didn't even know Willow had closed. That's really too bad. The *real* hardware stores like Willow are becoming harder to find. They always had exactly the things a real do-it-youselfer needed. There were so many times I made the drive to Willow from my home in Amherst because I knew they would have the odd thing I needed when nobody else did. The big box places are horrible by comparison. Too often they don't have the right stuff, it's all cheap crap, and their (lack of) service is a joke. Lorain is poorer without Willow Hardware.
ReplyDeletewas a nice store not now gone forever
ReplyDeletei was a good hardware store now in 2018 you need to find an ace hardware store
ReplyDelete