Stevens Hardware Co. Closing After 130 Years in Oneonta

For generations, Oneonta residents could walk down Main Street and find Stevens Hardware Company. Not after Nov. 1, over 130 years after the mainstay first opened.

John Stevens, 94, grandson of the original owner, made the announcement through his daughter Francine Bailey on Thursday evening. Bailey has worked at the store with her father for more than 20 years. He currently lives in a nursing home on Chestnut Street and worked full-time at the store until he was 92 years old. The store had been continuously run since opening 1882.

It was the 2008 winner of "Business of the Year," presented by the Oneonta Foundation. But due to online shopping and consumer practices of replacing, not repairing, the business has seen a dramatic decline in service requests.

Stevens Hardware Company will sell most merchandise at a 25 percent discount. The building at 153 Main St. will also be sold.

Over the 130 years, Stevens Hardware Company transitioned from repairing wagon wheels and sleigh runners to, today, providing merchandise and services centered around camping, hunting, fishing and outdoor activities.

Stevens Hardward Company will continue it's regular business hours until closing on Nov. 1. It is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday.

Here is an image of the Stevens Hardware Company from a 1955 postcard of downtown Oneonta: