Central Hardware fighting to survive

After more than 70 years in business, owners of a local hardware store are worried about the future. Rising costs, high taxes and competition from retail giants have threatened the family owned Central Hardware.

Located on Central Avenue just north of Merrick Road, the store first opened in 1939. David Oppenheimer, who came to New York from Germany just a year earlier with his wife and children, wanted to have his own store. In the 1940s and 50s, Central Hardware thrived in the community, with David and son Eric working behind the counter and David’s wife, Regina, at the cash register.

Today the store is run by David’s grandson, Alan, the third-generation of Oppenheimers to offer his expertise, along with his wife Laura. There are two other full-time sales associates, a warehouse worker and three part-time cashiers.

Laura said the store is struggling to keep up with its expenses. “The only thing we can control really is inventory,” she said. “We’ve got our payroll down to the bare bones. I’m sure everybody has the same problems.”

It is difficult for the store compete with larger retail stores such as Home Depot or Lowe’s on prices for “big ticket” items such as snowblowers, Laura said. “They can charge less than what we buy it for,” she said.

However, she said, many consumers assume that prices for all items are cheaper at the larger retail stores. Not true, Laura explained, saying that most of the small items are competitively priced at Central Hardware. But even so, the store cannot get by just selling the nuts and bolts.

Central Hardware is affiliated with True Value, a cooperation of privately owned hardware stores. The benefit, Laura said, is that as a group these stores can get better prices by buying products in bulk yet can still remain independent.

But more important than prices, Laura said, is the service that customers receive at Central Hardware. Her husband knows every item in the store, she explained. If something in the basement hasn’t had any use for years but a customer comes looking for it, he knows where to find it.