Residents and locals may have noticed a large “Going Out of Business Sale” sign appearing in the window of Hamden’s historical Spring Glen Hardware & Appliance this past Monday.
Located over on Whitney Avenue, the family-owned home improvement store is closing down after being open for nearly 75 years.
Frank Landino began working at the location over 40 years ago while he was still in college, when his father owned the location.
“We opened that store in 1948,” Landino said. “We’ve been in the neighborhood for maybe 90 years, and 75 years in business.”
Reminiscing on his experience working at the store, Landino never dreaded going to work. “It never felt like work. It was just part of my everyday thing,” he said.
Frank and his brother, Harry Landino, are third-generation owners and operators of the location. With their focus on customer service, they have helped keep business booming as customers fly in and out. However, the two brothers decided it was time to close the store because of their health conditions.
“My brother’s had over 20 surgeries and he just can’t have any more surgeries… I’ve had open heart surgery and another issue that they’re keeping an eye on,” Landino explained. “Both of us, health-wise, couldn’t just keep going the way we were going.”
The store’s large variety and informative staff allows locals to grab different tools and wares while also offering repair services for shoes and appliances.
Comparing this location to other hardware stores, Spring Glen Hardware carries a number of different items including: household products, kitchenware, outdoor equipment and more. By walking through these neatly organized aisles, customers are able to find exactly what they are looking for hanging on the walls or stacked on shelves.
“We’ve been getting tons of support from the community,” Landino said. “Every day people come in, and they get teary, and that makes me get teary. I’ve made so many friends and acquaintances over the years, that everybody’s like family. It’s just been hard.”
Landino found that waiting until Monday, Nov. 28, was the best time to hang the sign because one of their employees had experienced the liquidation of a previous company they worked for and did not want to go through this situation again.
“As of now we’re liquidating, and if we have to sell the building, we’ll sell the building. I’d rather see it as a hardware store but that’s not entirely up to me,” Landino said.
While the official date of closure is unofficial, Landino said that they are aiming to close sometime in January.