Beloved hardware store to shut down after more than 100 years in business

A popular New Jersey hardware store will close its doors after more than 100 years in business.

Saunders Hardware in Montclair has been open on Valley Road since 1893, but after 131 years in business, the store’s owner, Tom Vultee, is retiring.

After failing to find someone to buy the mom-and-pop store, Vultee sold the building and is in the process of removing 177,000 items from the store’s inventory.

In addition to selling all kinds of hardware, many locals know the store as a warm and inviting place that helped shape the North Jersey city.

‘It’s the interaction, the personal interaction, the discovery. The fact that there are people you can really talk to,” said Julian, one of Saunders’ many customers PIX11.

Vultee has long been the heart of the store and customers said they regularly go there to chat and catch up

Vultee has long been the heart of the store and customers said they regularly go there to talk and catch up.

‘Everyone knows him. It’s sad to see him go,” said Brian White, another longtime customer.

White joined Vultee at the store Friday as they hugged and the owner became emotional.

‘He’s an old friend. He is as special as any old friend who comes into the hardware store,” Vultee said.

“It brings tears to my eyes,” he added, wiping his face.

Vultee revealed that the recent death of a longtime employee, Rob Howard, really pushed him to close the store.

‘Very emotional. It was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back with the question, “What am I doing here?” I should spend time with my family,” Vultee said.

A photo of Howard hung in the store along with other items in memory of the employee who worked at the store for the past 24 years.

As the end of the store nears, Vultee has made arrangements with the new buyer to keep the store open for a while to try to clear out inventory.

Vultee is seen hugging longtime client and friend, Brian White, on Friday as he became emotional over the news

Vultee revealed that the recent death of a longtime employee, Rob Howard, really pushed him to close the store. (photo: A small memorial in the store for Howard)

Any items left over will be donated to the housing nonprofit Habitat for Humanity.

“They benefit from it, they get to take care of people,” Vultee said.

Everything in the store is marked down to 30 percent because Vultee said his hardware store has always had what everyone needs.

“I still have guys who have been here for 20 years and they say, ‘Do you have that?’ And I tell them where it is, and they’ll say, ‘I didn’t know we had that,'” Vultee said.

After word of the closure spread, heartbroken locals and customers flocked to social media to say goodbye to the store and to Vultee.

‘Oh no! We trust these guys and it was great to have them on our square,” one person wrote.

Everything in the store has been marked down by up to 30 percent in an effort to remove 177,000 items from store inventory. What is not sold is donated to a non-profit organization

Another said: “Saunders is a real institution for Montclair. I love going in there, everyone is so helpful and always has a positive attitude.”

“I remember going in here as a kid with my parents,” someone else wrote.

Montclair is known as a small, affluent suburb, full of small shops like Saunder’s, well-known restaurants, parks and the public university, Montclair State University.

The average cost of a home in the city is estimated to be about $988,800 POWDERS.

With a population of over 39,700 residents and an area of ​​10.3 square kilometers, the city is known for its walkable space for small businesses and local retailers.