Jul 28, 2016 3 min read

Washington is losing its last independent hardware store.

Tom Rogers, owner of West Washington Hardware, said Wednesday he will close the West Chestnut Street business in the coming months. He has not set a date, estimating it to be “Octoberish.” For now, he’s open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Rogers, 40, a second-generation owner, said the reason for the closing is simple: “There’s no business anymore. Business is dead. It’s been a downhill spiral that has steadily gotten worse and worse.”

A proliferation of big-box chains, with wide merchandise selection and often located in shopping complexes, has been a death knell to many locally owned businesses in towns the size of Washington. That is the case here, said Rogers, whose shop is within a mile or so of Busy Beaver (West Chestnut) and Home Depot (Washington Mall).

“All mom-and-pop stores have been run out,” he said. “There are no small businesses left in this town.”

A diminishing base of loyal customers hasn’t helped, either, Rogers added.

Rogers, part or sole owner of the store since 2000, said he had been considering this decision for more than a year. “Some people say they’re surprised I’ve hung on this long.”

He said his shop has had a reputation for serving customers with smaller needs, such as “buying one screw or a hard-to-get item. But you can’t make a living on nickel sales.”

When he walks out on the final day, Rogers will be closing the door on a West Chestnut tradition. The structure at the corner of Grove Avenue, he believes, has been at least partly a hardware store since the early 1900s. “As far as I know,” he said, “this side has always been. The other side used to be a grocery.”

West Washington Hardware also has been a longtime family tradition. His grandfather, Bruce, was hired as manager in 1934 and served until his death in 1961. Bruce’s sons, Tom and Bill, purchased the store 11 years later and remained co-owners until 1988, when Tom bought out his brother.

Tom was sole owner until 2000, when his son, Tom, assumed half-ownership. The son became full owner when his father died in April 2007.

His shop is interesting, to be sure – a throwback to neighborhood hardware stores that were commonplace a quarter-century ago. It is chock full of everything, stacked throughout. In the back, on the wall behind the service desk, is a fabulous and framed wide-angle photo of Washington, taken from the highest point of Washington Cemetery.

Only it isn’t a wide-angle photo, but 120 photos – three stacks of 40 – painstakingly pieced together by the current owner’s father.

“My dad had a lot of hobbies, and photography was one of them,” the younger Tom said.

Father, like son, grew up in Washington and graduated from Washington High School.

The younger Tom Rogers still owns West Washington Hardware but does not own the building. He declined to name that individual, but said the owner is “uncertain” what he will do with the space.

Rogers likewise is uncertain of his professional future. He resides in Canonsburg with his wife, son and stepdaughter, but to this point, isn’t overly concerned.

“My wife has a good job,” he said.

“I need a job, but I’m not worried about finding one. I’m more worried about finding something I want.”