A classic, old-school hardware store vibe
Mayer Paint and Hardware
226 Winton Road North | 585-288-7665
mayerhardware.com
click to enlarge Originally opened in 1951 by Clarence and Ruth Mayer on Main Street and Illinois Street, Mayer Paint & Hardware has stayed in the North Winton Village neighborhood all these years.
Known by the locals simply as “Mayer’s,” the shop is now located on North Winton Road in the heart of the village, in a space that was formerly Martin’s Hardware. The Mayers bought it in 1966.
Today, Mayer’s is about 5,000 square feet of hardware, power tools, paint, snowblowers, grills, and just about anything else anyone might need to get the job done.
“We call it, ‘The superstore on a city block,’” said Mayer’s Vice President Dennis McCarthy. “In terms of products, you’ll find about 99 percent of anything you’d get at a Home Depot or a Lowe’s. The only thing we don’t have that they carry is lumber, and that’s just because we don’t have anywhere to put it.”
Mayer has planned renovations for 2023, which McCarthy said will change the layout and improve the customer experience. (But no word on if they’ll be adding wood.)
“Anyone who's been here knows how good we are at smooshing tons and tons of stuff into our little store,” McCarthy said, adding that because the shop is part of the ACE Hardware cooperative, Mayer’s has the national buying power of ACE. “That’s how we can remain competitive while remaining a local, independent business.”
Mayer’s was purchased by Tom and Barb Green in 1972 and they steadily grew the business footprint to eight times what it was then. Their son, Tom Green Jr., and his wife Sara Green, are the current owners.
Throughout the years, Mayer’s has maintained the classic, old-school hardware store vibe in a world where everything has become a big, yawning box.
“We love that we're a little maze with wood floors, wood on the walls, you know, dust, creaks, all that stuff,” McCarthy said.
Today, Mayer’s employs more than 40 people with a wide range of expertise and a uniform passion for customer service.
“If you come into Mayer’s you’re gonna get asked several times if you found what you needed, if you need any help,” McCarthy said. “We have a little sign in our employee area that says ‘The customer is always right,’ and it was printed out in 1973. It’s a silly thing, but it’s very true — that’s the heart of what we do.” —REBECCA RAFFERTY
Finalists: Abode | Cook’s World | Historic Houseparts
click image