Candey Hardware at Dupont Circle South 'bites the bust'

Another old fashioned family owned hardware store 'bites the dust' as WJ Candey Hardware Store at 1210 18th Street in NW Washington DC closes its doors.

An history of more than 100 years, in the 26 July 2006 Washington Post article Hardware Store Out of History Yields to Reality by Sue Anne Pressley Montes current owner Gwen Loftin, 73, the great-granddaughter of founder Josiah Candey. "... I can't keep butting my head against a brick wall."

Loftin said the store has lost a hundred customers a day in the past few years. The family plans to sell the 1929 building at 1210 18th St. NW, which is actually the store's third location in the vicinity. For customers who have long depended on Candey's convenience and old-fashioned service, the news is another example of a world losing its originality and retail charm.

Click the above photo taken on 12 October 2007 to view my W. J. Candey Hardware Store and Hardware Stores photosets.