When we drove by one of our local stores not long ago to do a large grocery run, I noticed they were having a “customer appreciation sale” with everything marked 25% off. When I walked to the grocery store across the street from there yesterday to pick up a few things I was short on, the street sign then said “50% off”, and a sign in the window said “up to 75%”. That’s when I started to suspect they might be closing.
Sadly, I was right, but it’s a local buyout so it’s not the end of the world, I guess?
The good news is that my partner was coming back to Gardner about the same time I was arriving at the grocery store, so he came to meet me at the hardware store instead of going straight home. We picked up some canning and craft supplies, including (but not in the image above) some Dremel bits he needed.
They are already closed for good, as evidenced by the thank you sign out front I saw on our way back from the grocery store today. We had hoped to go back to see what more that was needed we might get before they closed, but our budget was simply too tight for anything else right now.
Aubuchon, the chain that bought them will apparently be expanding their current spot to handle more product which is definitely a good thing and one of the main reasons we so infrequently shopped there before–the in store selection was abysmal, and the one product we had hoped to buy there regularly (a cat litter brand we prefer), they stopped carrying. The downside is it is a lot farther away for a walker like myself, and part of that trip requires traversing decidedly non pedestrian friendly routes.
Although there are some products Lynde carried that I can get at Chairtown Lumber or Wheelen, neither is really meant to be a general hardware store. It’s a bummer that the Aubuchon location is farther, but I’m more concerned about what they won’t carry despite the expansion.
In truth, we’re fairly lucky here in what small stores are still around in this day and age. It’s one of the things that particularly attracted me to here. Hopefully we won’t lose too many more of them any time soon.
