Evening folks,
Today was an unseasonably warm day in all of Iowa, and quite beautiful too! I headed west from Waterloo about 8 this morning and met up with Greg at Sanders Hardware in Early, IA. While most on this list know about this wonderful store and a few have been lucky enough to experience it first hand, I thought I'd share my first experience there for those who have never seen such a sight as this!
Mr. Sanders and his wife were kind enough to let Greg and I rummage through the 'store' and warehouse this afternoon. While Greg found some nice Hoover vac parts, I found a rollermatic agitator kit while we searched through shelf after heaping shelf of NOS and used parts. I found it very difficult to contain excitement during my visit, therefore I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked.
Before I bring on the photos, I thought I'd share a bit of what I found out today from Mr. Sanders. They had started the hardware store downtown Early in the spring of 1959, as a Hardware Hank. At that time he also became a dealer for Maytag, KitchenAid, and Hoover. Then in 1964, he built the current location on the east side of US 20/71, which runs along the east edge of town. It would be safe to assume that he hasn't gotten rid of very much during the 40 or so years of ownership. It appears he has kept almost every trade in, unless someone decided to purchase a trade along the way. Truly an amazing place. Thank God for Iowa!
Today was an unseasonably warm day in all of Iowa, and quite beautiful too! I headed west from Waterloo about 8 this morning and met up with Greg at Sanders Hardware in Early, IA. While most on this list know about this wonderful store and a few have been lucky enough to experience it first hand, I thought I'd share my first experience there for those who have never seen such a sight as this!
Mr. Sanders and his wife were kind enough to let Greg and I rummage through the 'store' and warehouse this afternoon. While Greg found some nice Hoover vac parts, I found a rollermatic agitator kit while we searched through shelf after heaping shelf of NOS and used parts. I found it very difficult to contain excitement during my visit, therefore I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked.
Before I bring on the photos, I thought I'd share a bit of what I found out today from Mr. Sanders. They had started the hardware store downtown Early in the spring of 1959, as a Hardware Hank. At that time he also became a dealer for Maytag, KitchenAid, and Hoover. Then in 1964, he built the current location on the east side of US 20/71, which runs along the east edge of town. It would be safe to assume that he hasn't gotten rid of very much during the 40 or so years of ownership. It appears he has kept almost every trade in, unless someone decided to purchase a trade along the way. Truly an amazing place. Thank God for Iowa!
