Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Another family member gone



Amherst's downtown character changed when family owned mom and pops--the kind that inspired Norman Rockwell--closed or abandoned town center in favor of a high volume commercial areas sited in a sea of concrete.

Louis Foods gambled on a new commercial building on busy University Drive back when The Chequers bar was the toast of the town and soon succumbed to competition from the larger corporate supermarkets.

Amherst Drug Store suffered a major fire and new ADA requirements would have forced the aging owner to include an elevator in the renovations, so it was left vacant and blighted for many years before Barry Roberts purchased it and did what had to be done. Now it's a well maintained, attractive Subway franchise.

But one of my favorite places to hang out as a kid (along with sitting on the stairway reading comics at AJ Hastings) was Aubuchan Hardware across the street from historic Town Hall. In the summer the door was propped wide open and under the awning tools and nick knacks on display to attract the attention of folks causally ambling by--the same folks you would later see on Sunday morning at St Brigid's Church.

But the New England based family owned chain hardware store relocated from main street Amherst into that newfangled thing called a "strip mall" in Hadley with Zayre Department Store as an anchor, back in the late 60s or early 70s.

The growth of UMass created a gold rush for entrepreneurs hoping to cash in on the big city located within a town. Soon the big box corporate chains came a calling, most recently Home Depot and Lowe's.

I'm told by a reliable source, that before Home Depot came to town shareholders were assured that Home Depot's market analysis showed they would close Aubuchon and Rocky's and take 20% of Cowls Building Supply's market share. Of course little did they realize Lowe's was simultaneously making the same assumption.

So the rest, as the say, is inevitable. Turn the page on another sad chapter.

31 comments:

Shel Horowitz, author, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green said...

A shame! I enjoyed that store (as well as Foster-Farrar in Noho, which still exists). I guess we still have Rocky's but it isn't the same.

Anonymous said...

Shareholders? C'mon, get your facts straight. That's ridiculous. Management sure, but shareholders? No way. Sloppy reporting.

Larry Kelley said...

I'm also told by another reliable source who works at Home Depot in response to my question yesterday why they don't rent power equipment like the operations in West Springfield or Chicopee and he said it was because of Taylor Rental across the street.

Apparently the owner of Taylor Rental also sits on the Board of Directors for Home Depot (go figure) and he made sure to protect his business, which would not last long if the Hadley store rented out the same equipment--only newer and at a lower cost.

Anonymous said...

Yes, and the owner of Sugarloaf Frostie is on the board of Ben & Jerry's. That's why there is no Ben & Jerry's store in Sunderland. Do you ever check your facts? You say some of the most ridiculous things. The owner of Taylor Rental is not on the board of Home Depot.

Larry Kelley said...

Nice to have such Anon experts among my readership.

Anonymous said...

Soon we're all going to be in uniform asking "Would you like fries with that?"

Anonymous said...

I think Aubuchon overlooked a large part of their customer base- WOMEN that shop in hardware stores.

My first experience was negative(moved here 22 yrs ago)when a worker walked between me and items I was choosing off a shelf- without saying a word (a simple "excuse me" would have covered it)

I have probably shopped there a dozen times- not thrilled with it- Rocky's is a little better- but I HATE their return form- They would give you your $ and then give you a long form to complete- I'm sure I took the money and ran more than once! LOL

Anonymous said...

For years Aubuchon in Amherst didn't have a phone in the belief that it forced people to come in to check if what they wanted was in stock. The best Hardware store of 1952.

Anonymous said...

If you sat on the stairs at Hastings waiting for the papers, roamed the aisles of Aubuchon's and your house made "Party House of the weekend", do you win a large malt at the old Amherst Drug Store?

Drew in SC

Tom Porter said...

Anon 10:11,

How about a cone at McManus Ice Cream instead?

Larry Kelley said...

Or a quick bite at the Tasty Tower and a couple games at the bowling alley next to the post office.

Helen said...

Aubuchon's in Hadley didn't treat their customers well. I went in there several times looking for things and was either ignored, or treated like I was an idiot. I saw this happen to several other customers each time. The staff there acted as if they didn't want to be there when their jobs were dependent on customers. I'm not sorry to see them go. There is a big difference between the hardward store that was in Amherst Center (which I agree, was fantastic!), and the store in Hadley. The Hadley store lost my business several years ago *before* Home Depot or Lowe's opened up.

Anonymous said...

This is sad. I refuse to shop at Lowes and Home Depot. I support local, sustainable businesses.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Helen's post, May 5, 2011 7:03 AM. I went in Aubuchon once or twice, and was totally underwhelmed. I'd go to Rocky's most of the time or make the trip to Home Depot in West Springfield. The new Home Depot and Lowes in Hadley didn't do them in. They did themselves in.

Anonymous said...

I preferred Kentfield Hardware, which was a few doors down from Hastings. Aubuchon had the weirdest vibe. The employees were always everyone else's rejects.

Anonymous said...

how do home depot and lowes stay in business with their mostly empty parking lots?

Anonymous said...

Typical Aubuchon. They didn't even mention Amherst (where they were located until the 1980s). Yeah, thanks Hadley.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget to buy some bellbottom jeans at Thompson's and shoes at Bowles.

Anonymous said...

4am Hangover-preventer at Gas Light, anyone?

god, I'm old...

Anonymous said...

but larry... home depot is your favorite store.

Larry Kelley said...

Actually I like Cowles Building Supply and Rocky's (for their service).

Anonymous said...

I agree with those of you who were not happy with Aubuchon. I was ignored, had to wait and wait and wait to get any kind of service, only to find that the service I did get was bordering on rude. I do like the idea of shopping locally at the smaller stores (Rocky's, Cowles) but sometimes the deciding factor is what I have in my wallet.

Anonymous said...

Lots of people still go to Rocky's and Leader Home Center. Aubuchon is defunct because there service was inferior. It's amazing that they held on as long as they did, which is probably because if you were going to Stop & Shop or Liquor 44 you might as well drop in there rather than driving to someplace else for that box of nails you needed. It certainly wasn't because of their service, which was nonexistent. It was appropriate that they were near Radio Shack, as they wrer to hardware what The Shack is to electronics, second rate.

Helen said...

Don't forget that Amherst Farmer's Supply also has hardware and other things that Aubuchon's had, and with much better service.

And yes, Kentfield Hardware WAS the best hardware store in Amherst. I recall many happy times going to the downtown stores that are now long gone, which supplied Amherst residents with useful items; Louis Foods, College Drug Store, Matthew's Shoes, House of Walsh, Brown's, Adam's Drug Store, and the french bakery on North Pleasant that used to make the most incredible pretzel rolls and croissants.

Anonymous said...

....and chocolate eclairs to die for.

Anonymous said...

Lowes and Home Depot can't last long. I agree, their lots are always empty. Inside, it's quite echo'ey and hollow and it smells of horrid chemicals. Talk about paving paradise and putting up a parking lot. The one homeowner had to erect a huge fence to cover the ugly sight. Intrusive, to say the least.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget Flavortown.

Stay away, away, away. said...

Oh the failures the failures...

Anonymous said...

It was Mrs. Naegle's bakery.

Anonymous said...

Auuchon cut their own throat -- I was willing to pay more for things, but they simply didn't have them. Didn't have sockets, didn't have box wrenches, didn't have a lot of basic hardware stuff that I really didn't want to spend a half hour going through Home Depot or Lowes after.

But when I started realizing that they aren't going to have what I am looking for anyway, well, at some point you just gotta say f*** it and go to where you know you will find it...

Robyn413 said...

Does any one remember Joe's Diner, it was located down the alleyway next to what was then five and dime store, now a bank.