Enfield
Stanford, 65, who has operated the store at the corner of Route 4 and Maple Street since 1994, knows all of his customers’ names. In fact, he can usually recite the names of entire families, recall when a customer last came into the store and is quick to jump out from behind the counter to help find his regulars’ usual supplies.
It’s the sort of customer service shoppers have come to enjoy over the store’s nearly 33-year history, service they’ll miss when Enfield Hardware closes its doors for the last time on May 19.
In its place, regional convenience store chain Jake’s Market and Deli is planning to open its ninth location in the Upper Valley, using land where both Enfield Hardware and the long-vacant Tinkham’s Store currently stand.
“This was like the center hub of town. Where am I supposed to get my local gossip and all that?” Bombaci lamented at the checkout counter.
“Well, when Jake’s opens up — ” Stanford tried to explain before being cut off.
“— It won’t be the same,” Bombaci said.
Regulars who stopped by Enfield Hardware and Supply on Thursday all had similar responses to news of the store’s closing: To lose a local business is tough enough, they said, but Stanford’s hospitality is irreplaceable.
“There’s something about a small town hardware store that is different than going to the big-box stores,” Bombaci said. “It was more than just a store here. You would come in and get a smiling face, and we’d always chat.”
Donna Alvarenga, who owns Three Fox Farm, a horse farm, often visits the store to purchase shavings and grain. Although it might cost a bit more in Enfield, she’s happy to pay for the service and atmosphere.
“Not only can I get hardware stuff, I can get eggs, I can get advice, I get jokes, and everybody knows everybody who’s in here,” Alvarenga said.
With the store closing, she’ll have to drive to West Lebanon for supplies. While that will be a hassle, she said, not seeing Stanford will be the bigger loss.
“His sense of humor is so dry. He’s so brilliant. He’s kind of like a Harvard scholar running this small business,” Alvarenga said. “He knows my name, he knows my family members, he knows my grandchildren’s names. He’s just phenomenal.”
Stanford is the second generation behind the counter at Enfield Hardware and Supply. His father, Ronald, purchased the business in 1984, when it was located next to George’s AG SuperValue. The family also bought a lumber yard in Canaan two years later.
Stanford, a native of Somerville, Mass., said he came to the Upper Valley shortly after the lumber business was purchased and helped his father move the hardware store to its current home in 1991.
The building once housed a bank branch and post office, Stanford said, adding his family worked hard to renovate it into a hardware store.
By 1994, the lumber yard had hit hard times and closed, and Ken Stanford began working at the family hardware store.
“My dad and I formed a partnership. He was much more knowledgeable in this than I was. I have an accounting degree. My dad was a carpenter by trade,” he said on Thursday. “I figured with his knowledge and my experiences, we could make a go of it.”
The economy has changed in the decades, however, and Stanford his local brick-and-mortar store cannot compete with online and big-box retailers.
“I think we’ve seen the better times. In 1994, I don’t think there was a Home Depot, or a Wal-Mart or a Tractor Supply in the area,” he said. “That’s certainly taking business from us.”
Stanford, who will be 66 next month, said he’s also ready to take a break from the store. He’s always wanted to start a garden — a pastime for which he’s rarely had the time — and wants to visit Las Vegas to see his daughter, who is expecting her first child later this year.
Ed Kerrigan, the owner of the Jake’s chain, said he’s had his eye on the location for some time. It sees about 8,800 vehicles pass by daily on Route 4, according to New Hampshire Department of Transportation traffic reports.
“In Enfield, I don’t think there’s a better spot,” he said.
Kerrigan said the company hopes to build a roughly 6,000-square-foot store with gas pumps.
The company is still in its early planning phase for the store, he said, but offerings could include fresh produce, a deli and possibly a coffee cafe, as well as a small hardware area.
“A lot of this is very fluid and we have a lot of things to figure out in terms of size and the offerings,” Kerrigan said.
Purchase of sale agreements have been signed, he said, but declined to say how much Jake’s expects to pay for the properties.
According to town assessing records, the hardware property is valued at $290,700, while the Tinkham’s building is valued at $379,700. Together, the parcels include about 4 acres of land.
Granite Northland Associates, a Canaan- and Enfield-based real estate office, listed the Tinkham’s building at $449,000. The online listing says the property is currently under contract.
If all goes well and the project receives approval from the Planning Board, Kerrigan said, construction could begin in the fall.
As Jake’s readies to submit its plans to the town and the end draws near, Stanford has taken to saying the best part of running the store is his customers.
“And the worst part of running the store is my customers,” he said with a laugh on Thursday.
“By and large, my customers are great people, and over the years that I’ve been here, our customer base has dwindled partially because they passed away,” Stanford said. “We’ve lost some really nice people.”
Several dozen people have sent an email or posted to the town Listserv wishing Stanford well. He’s read a lot of those messages and has found it touching that he’s had a impact on people’s lives.
“I’m me. I’m not somebody else,” he said. “I’m me, and the fact that people appreciate that is kind of rewarding.”
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.