Valley Hardware, Keene Valley (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

For about 90 years, the Valley Hardware store has become a beloved institution in Keene Valley, and it will continue. The part general store, part hardware store, part gift shop, and part building supply store that provides a central location for residents to get their mail is now operating under new ownership.

“The Valley Hardware is a vital place for local people to pick up their odds and ends without going to Aubuchon or Ward’s,” said Ben Stechshulte. “It’s nice being able to stay home and spend our money in town. Valley Hardware’s prices are competitive everywhere, even online, so I always go there first. They have a great variety of goods available. I love the store.”

Most recently operated as the McDonough Valley Hardware, the business was sold by the children of the late David and Paula McDonough to Tom and Heather Coffin, owners of East Branch Organics in Keene. Barton and Van Merle-Smith assisted with the sale as they wished to keep the business locally owned. Over the past couple of weeks, the store has been closed as the new owners thoroughly review the inventory and install an updated management and billing system, a process expected to conclude this week.

“The McDonoughs were the most wonderful and inviting people to us when we came to Keene Valley, said Heather Coffin. “We knew nobody up here. They welcomed us in, always supported our business, gave us advice, and helped us navigate this community. Walking around the store, we can see all the years of hard work and thought they put into stocking the place. They are amazing.”

The beginnings of Valley Hardware go back to 1892 when Charles and Cora Partridge bought the land where the store now stands and built and operated a blacksmith shop and feed store. In 1908, they sold it to John Jacques, who continued it for several years. In the 1920s, Ray Trumbull established a new business, the Eagle Garage, which he successfully operated for several years before transforming it into a hardware store. Trumbull also took on construction work and caretaking for seasonal residents, additional activities that many subsequent owners continued in the years since.

Valley Hardware store owner Dave McDonough, left, meets with former Keene town Supervisor Bill Ferebee, middle, and Congressman Chris Gibson in 2011 to talk about the damage to his store following Tropical Storm Irene. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

In 1972, Fred Blaicher and George Bright bought the business, then owned by Louis Gregory, and in a few years, Bright took over as sole owner.

“David started working at the store when he was a teenager. George Bright then owed it,” said Paul Martin, who managed the store then. “He was a laborer, did various odd jobs. One day we were working for Mrs. Corscoden, Martha’s mother. I was in the kitchen, and I could see David outside raking the lawn and that his heart wasn’t into it. I knew David was taking some business courses at North Country Community College, so I suggested he come to see me in my office Monday morning. So, he did. I said, David, we need someone to handle the business end of the store. Would you be interested? From that day on, he never had a rake in his hand.”

In 1977, Bright sold the hardware to a consortium that included Larry House, Paul Martin, Al and Sue Turner and David McDonough. In time, House left to take on a managerial job at the Ausable Club; Martin sold his share; and not long after, so did the Turners, leaving David and his bride Paula as the sole owners.

Since its beginnings, Valley Hardware has consistently engaged with the community in many ways and has been a place where people are often connected. For example, in 2010, the United States Post Office decided to permanently close the Keene Valley branch, consolidating its local services in Keene. Keene Valley and St. Huberts residents were distressed as they had no desire to drive to Keene to get their mail. Plus, the Keene post office didn’t have the space to double the number of postal boxes needed by Keene Valley residents.

David and Paula McDonough proposed that the Keene Valley post offices boxes be located in a non-heated covered shed attached to the far end of their store. In 2011, the USPS agreed, and Valley Hardware became only the ninth such arrangement in the U.S. The other significant impact to Valley Hardware in 2011 was Tropical Storm Irene, which flooded the store with nearly 3 feet of water.

Valerie McDonough Warner (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“Oh my God, that was amazing,” said Val Warner, David’s sister and long-time employee in the store. “When we went into the store that morning, I remember the look on David’s face, and he turned white as a ghost. Looking around at the destruction, he threw up his hands and said, ‘What are we going to do now?’ Then all of a sudden, right after he said that, people started coming in the front door saying, ‘What can we do? How can we help?’ They immediately set to work. It was amazing.”

“David stepped into the back room and cried,” said Martin. “He was overwhelmed. I said, they love you. They love your family.”

Indeed, people did. The store provided a human touch. The staff provided storage for paints and other goods that seasonal residents needed to keep from freezing, accepted residents’ UPS packages, and provided advice on all manner of repair projects that people desired to accomplish. If they didn’t have what you needed, they’d order it.

“I love the people, the community, the tourists who come by,” said employee Kyle Dudley. “The store is a saving grace. You can find pretty much everything you need, or we can get it. The Hardware is convenient, and it feels like home. It’s the last family-owned general store before you get to Long Lake.”

In 2013, David McDonough died, and his wife Paula, with the help of her family, kept the business going. But with her death last year, and most of their kids living far away or having other jobs, selling the store was the only option.

Kyle Dudley (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“I hate to say this, but having to sell the business sucks,” said Val Warner. “I knew it was coming, I knew it was going to happen, but it was hard to do. There was so much David there, in every corner of the business, in so many conversations we had with people. To pull his pictures down and take his stuff out of there was hard. It wasn’t fun. His daughter Taetum did such a great job after her mom died keeping the business open and going. I give her so much credit. I am so proud of her.”

Warner described the Hardware as a fun place to work because you learned many things and met many interesting people. All are grateful that Tom and Heather Coffin have bought and are keeping the business locally owned and operated, a couple that has already become beloved by the community.

“The biggest desire behind our effort is to keep the McDonough’s legacy alive,” said Heather Coffin. “We plan to keep it stocked with what people need and want as before, but we also have plans for expansion. We want to have more supplies available for the contractor, the plumbing, painting, and carpentry and do more with design options such as wallpaper and other opportunities.”

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley. He has been covering events for the News for more than 15 years.)

Paul Martin (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)