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Monday, November 22, 2010

Stepping Back In Time Part 1 (The Restoration)

( You may click on the photo's to enlarge)


In the little town near where we live
there is a wonderful old store
and stepping across its
threshold
is like stepping back in time.



It's called
The Old Hardware Store
and it has been in operation since
1885.
This old store is filled with antiques
and other items and is a furniture/home restorers delight. You can find genuine antique hardware for house or furniture and every kind of hardware in between!
There are things in here that Maragret is still discovering
or trying to figure out what it is.
 It's an amazine place to visit.


The old store in 1925


Today

The store is owned by Margaret Kraisinger.
Margaret and her husband Gary bought the building
in 1998.
The store was closed for 1 year while they did an
extensive restoration and then re-opened
in 1999. Margaret and Gary are
still restoring things
as they go.  



Before restoration

Thick layers of enamel paint covered the beautiful old
original oak cabinets bins and drawers which
had to be removed and in some cases the
wood had to be bleached before it
was stained and protected.
There are 5 individual units
that can be changed
around on this
wall alone!


Before (see the ceiling?)

After
 (42 feet of hardware cabinets-360 drawers)

See the hanging ladder?
It was re-hung after at least 40 years.
The other original fixtures such as the scales
nail bin, counters, signs and most of the show cases
have been in the store for around 75 years.

Did you notice that ceiling?
It's original.








The limestone building was built in 1879 after a fire burned down many of the wood frame buildings on Main Street. It survived the 1910 tornado and several severe floods.
Shortly after 1902-1907 the first owners had the heavy
tin ceiling installed.
Originally from the two medallions hung gas lamps.
The old fans were added during the restoration.
Over the years the ceiling was painted white but
Margaret was able to find spots of the old paint colors
and tried to match the colors as closly as possible.
They did a wonderful job!




There are two rooms behind this room, one is the
old office which still contains the original safe and bookkeepers desk.
There are even two hats hanging under the window
that belonged to one of the former owners.




I stopped by the store to take a few pictures for my blog last week and only meant to stay long enough to
take pictures and talk to Margaret for
a few minutes...I think I was
there for a couple of
hours!
There is just
so much to see
and Margaret is a wealth of
information. If you are ever in the  area
you should stop in and visit The Old Hardware Store.
I bet your husband wouldn't say no!

If you're restoring a piece of furniture or your home
and you're needing some original hardware...this is the place to go to.

You can visit THE OLD HARDWARE STORE at 
208 Main Street
Halstead Kansas 67056
or call her at
877-731-1188 (toll free)

In part 2 I'll show you some of the neat things Margaret
has for sale.

I hope you have a wonderful week.
Maura :)





18 comments:

Sherry@The BarnQuiltStore Blog said...

Oh Maura!
What a WONDERFUL place to visit!!!
You are lucky to have a place like this so close to your sweet farm!!
The restoration is unbelievable, it's like going back in time!!!!!
♥'s
Sherry

The Bear's Blog said...

Maura,

What a wonderful store. It warms my heart to see that it has remained the way it was and not made into a super hardware store.

Hugs,
Joyce

Janet said...

I second that ! what a wonderful place-I`m so glad the place fell into the right hands ! what a labor of love ! utterly gorgeous !

Verde Farm said...

Oh Maura, what a wonderful post. I can't even imagine the work that went into that one year. Obviously they restored this great shop out of love. The ladder and shelving is amazing. It looks so beautiful and you would never know there were years of paint layers there. I love the cash register too-it's wonderful. I just love when people have a passion to restore something to it's original grandeur. What a lucky store with wonderful stewards!
Hugs, Amy

Country Gal said...

What a wonderful store then and now. Have a great day !

Bearly Sane said...

We have a Restorer's Barn at Castlemaine but although it has heaps of renovation stuff the store is not beautifully restored like this. I love what they have done with the store it's wonderful...love that tin ceiling and all those gorgeous timber units. I'd love to get my hands on that cash register!
Thank you Maura for sharing these snaps...I'll take some of the barn next time we have a day trip to Castlemaine.
Warmest Hugs,
Sandi @ Ess D'Ess Bears and Bearly Sane Studio

Chris at Red Gate Farm said...

Maura,

I'd travel there JUST to see that store! It is truly amazing. Amazing that it still carries "old things" and amazing for all the care and attention that went into restoring it. Someday I'd like to travel through other parts of our country just to see places like this. Thank you for the post, can't wait for part II.
Chris

Finding Pam said...

I agree with everyone else about the love and care that was given to this incredible hard ware store. The wooden cabinets are just perfect and the tin ceiling is amazing.

Thank Margaret for letting your share her hard ware store. I look forward to part 2.

Have a blessed Holiday season and the best to you and yours.

Blessings,
Pam

http://jackieinsurrey.blogspot.co.uk/ said...

Thank you for a great post on the restoration of the shop, I am looking forward to part two. I would love to wander round there, the ladder and the till are amazing. Thank you so much for sharing somewhere where I would never get a chance to visit!! Jackie in Surrey, UK.

Kath said...

Oh, I just know I would enjoy shopping there!

anemonen said...

That was a wonderful store. I just love it! Thanks for visiting me. Have a nice day.

Catherine said...

Hi Maura! it is just beautiful, i love the cabinets and all those drawers. I'm waiting for the second part, she must have lovely things to sale, your lucky! HUGS Catherine

Midwest to Midlands said...

What a great job they did restoring the store. I enjoyed the tour, wish I could stop by for a look around, but will do with your great pics for now. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Aileen Clarke Crafts said...

This looks like a real gem of a place! Wish I could visit : )
We enjoy looking through thrift stores and charity shops, auctions and car boot sales, although sometimes if I want a nice find I just have a rummage in my mothers garage!

~from my front porch in the mountains~ said...

Oh, be still my vintage heart....
I could go on vacation there, and not leave for two weeks!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and Keith!
xo, misha

Beatnheart said...

An absolutely wonderful store...I would love to visit it. A great post Maura...Also, sorry to hear about your quiet corner being changed by “progress”...I hope your little corner doesn’t get changed too dramatically. Have a beautiful Thanksgiving...

Mary, Windy Meadows Farm said...

What a labor of love and with fabulous results! It's lovely...a place I could spend oodles of time. Wishing it were closer! Thanks for sharing...it's such a joy to see people committed to restoring the old instead of tearing down and building new.

Unknown said...

What a wonderful testament to the love this couple must have for this wonderful treasure. Thankfully, there are people like this who still care and love old buildings. How wonderful! Thanks for taking the time to photograph this gem!

~Andrea~

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