Sorry to hear about Wood’s hardware, even tho I’ve only been there once or twice as I don’t live very close to the area there. I’ve heard people talk about the store & when asked where they got something… they replyed with “Woods”.
My, my.. if you’ve provided a nice service with downhome friendly customers AND employees (which is hard to come by alot these days) I don’t understand why the owners have to raise the rent? OH.. I know, MONEY & more & more of it, regardless of who gets hurt in the process.

Thanks Joe, I’ll plan a visit and buy something..

I saw that sign on Monday on the way to Salem. It’s always really sad to see a family business have to close their doors. They just can’t fight the competition of the big chains. Our family has always supported the small business owner in every town we have ever lived in. One of my favorite places was a diner called simply, “Eat”. It was a favorite place for outdoorsmen and had great breakfasts. They had good, inexpensive food and loved seeing a young family come through the door. They treated us like family. A Denny’s was built 2 doors down from it, and several years later they went under, it was so sad and we really missed going there. The place had absolutely no class, but it was clean and had some of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet. A real Ma & Pa place. And a great place to do a character study!

By the way, we love the ladies at TF Alterations…they are hilarious and not afraid to say it like it is! I never leave there without smiling. Hopefully, they’ll be around for awhile!

Katherine and Md. Mama, thanks for the testimonies to Wood’s and TF.

I, too, prefer the open and friendly to the impersonal, and an unfancy restaurant with great food to a fancy one with overpriced food (fancy with good food for a fair price is ideal).

As I said, I’ll try to talk to Mr. Wood tomorrow. I’m getting zero accomplished these days.

It is a generational thing. We Boomers appreciate things like community, loyalty, simplicity, good conversation, and a good firm handshake. Stuff like that is lost on the X’ers and the like. From what I’ve read in the literature, however…. all is not lost because the younger generation they call The Millenials are aspiring to be more like the Boomers, i.e., they have an appreciation for much that we hold near and dear in our hearts. They will be the ones who will pull us through and try to mend what has been distroyed in order to restore a sense of community and all that goes with it. Problem is, they’re in their very early to mid-teens and we may not be able to enjoy all that is to come unless we live into our 90’s. Mr Wood may have a young family member down the line who will bring the wonderful, honest simplicity of the local hardware store back… no glitz, just good honest, genuine customer service and know-how.

Reckon we can motivate some Millenials to go into journalism, return to the Roanoke Valley, take over the Roanoke Times and restore the integrity it once had?

Yet another victim of the “price is all that matters” crowd. I can’t believe that people get all excited over a Wal-Mart (or a Starbucks or a Home Depot) coming to down. Whoopie! We get to save a few bucks!

Meantime, Roanoke becomes Just Another Place. Without the Wood’s Hardwares of the world, what makes this city different than any other? (Answer: Nada.)

Why should anyone stay in Roanoke when you can find the same Wal-Marts, Gaps, Gymborees, Home Depots, and TGI Fridays everywhere else?

So you end up with the yokels in the local government simultaneously begging for yet another big-box or chain store to come, while wondering how to keep young people here. Incredible.

“But we have the same stores as the bigger cities!”

“Yeah. We know. Bye.”

I steered my own son away from journalism, even though he has the personality for it. Newspapers are done. Now that the profit margins are only three or four times that of most businesses, their owners are desperate to find investments that will continue to yield what they’re used to.

Unless they find some way to get monopolies or merge with other providers to create de facto monopolies, they’ll have to learn what competition (for revenues, not news) is all about. They may even have to start paying decent wages — for their online content providers.

Funny thing is, lots of people seem to read City Magazine and several others, and the bookstores haven’t shuttered. So somebody is reading printed materials.

I think newspapers will exist for quite a while, and I think the effort to tailor them exclusively for a younger crowd and dumb them down with lists of stupid things and celebritology will kill ‘em sooner than not.

People want stories, not lists — stories with, as Jimmy Breslin said, anger and humor. Pick up the RT and see how much anger and humor you find. Very little. True of most papers. They don’t want distinctive voices and they don’t want stars. Those people cost money.

Why do I get the newspaper? To see who died( more and more are my age or younger) and see what is going on with the war. But I usually hear the top stories from the internet first anyway. Sometimes it takes me 5 minutes to read from top to bottom. I still look foward to the Sunday paper. I hope they do not take that away.

Joe - My co-worker mentioned that you commented about the closing of the Woods Hardware. I went by there yesterday and it felt like a I had lost friend. That place has been a lifeline more than once on some home project. It is 2 minutes from my house, and it was laways nice to go in there and have people who knew you, asked about family, and helped out in finding what you needed. The store and the people will be sorely missed. And I don’t see how the mall owners are going to find another reatil store to fill the space when the lease is so prohibitive. There’s already 2-3 empty store fronts in the mall.

I don’t think you can blame Starbucks on the gen-xers. It’s sort of offensive, actually. I think if you look at who owns the franchises it would be Boomers, but even still I wouldn’t blame the choices of individuals on an entire generation of people (even a generation that’s going to kill social security for us younger folk).

It is sad to see the store closing. I have only been in there a couple of times but service was always great and so friendly.
When you go to Lowe’s you always have to wait and wait and wait on someone to help you. I am not sure if they can say the words, “may I help you”.
I only receive the weekend paper for the TV section and coupons in Sunday’s.
I was so disappointed they took the TV guide I would circle the shows I was interested in. In the daily paper with the TV schedule it doesn’t start until afternoon. Do they not know there are shows on durning the day.daaaaa. I keep getting the Saturday for the football news. I have two grandsons playing on varsity at HV. Go Titans.
Have a great weekend. Do something special just for yourself. Ladies, a hot bubble bath with candles, make sure you lock the door so no one will brother you.
Men, if you play golf get out on the course or whatever you do just for yourself to relax.
Lets call this a “relaxing” weekend and Joe that includes you.

I gotta agree with Andrew - as someone who travels a LOT, it’s getting hard to overlook the fact that all of our cities are beginning to look the same - a repetitious, mind-numbing drone of Wal-marts, Starbucks and Applebees.

Kinda depressing, if you ask me.

My few times in Wood’s Hardware I was treated very nicely, unlike the Big Box stores where you have to walk 40 miles to find a nail! I go to the family-owned business whenever possible. When my sister-in-law wants to meet up with us, it’s always at Cracker Barrel. They like the chain restaurants. My daughter and I prefer the hole-in-the-wall gems.

Joe, I think the Rt. would only be 2 pages long if the ads were taken away. There isn’t much to read. Not worth the price we pay for it.

Oh wow Mary,
you are absolutely right on that one. As the darkness approaches here, I’ve still yet to look at the paper. I eventually get to it, thinking I might miss something, as I miss the news on TV quite often also.

As for Lowes & Home Depot, right again, who want to walk over the place looking for one simple item we need? The only reason I do visit Wal-Mart is because when I need something as contact solutions, etc. as some of the grocery stores don’t carry the brand I like, It is nice on occasion to get it all at one stop.

I will still head to Woods as I’m sure they have something that we all need there.

“THANKS” to all of you for writing your comments about the closing of our life, “WOODS ACE HARDWARE”. It’s nice to know so many people care. We have made many friends over the years and watched babies grow to adult-hood and bring their children in. It’ll be hard to turn the key in the door for the last time on Oct. 31st., but the memories of one and all will go with us.

Monika & Bill,

As I mentioned previously, I don’t live very close by and have only been in your store once or twice, but will return before your closing. I’m looking forward to meetng you as I will wish for you nothing but the best in the future.

It’s ‘you’ hardworking, down to earth, devoted people we need more of in this world. You have your memories you can look back on later and know how very much your store meant to so many people, .. not just you store but your friendly nature & simple ability to please others with conversation & help also. We can’t find alot of that here anymore.
God Bless you & your family as you move on to new adventures.

Katerine:

Please introduce yourself when you come in to Woods Hardware. Would love to meet you. Tell your friends to come by and see us and help us get rid of a lot of merchandise.

Hi again Monika & Bill,
That’s so sweet of you to say that. I will introduce myself for sure. I hope to come in sometime next week before alot of your merchandise is gone. What are your hours?

I think ( and hope ) you’re getting alot of business now as I believe even though many may not comment here, alot of people are visiting Joe’s Blog here. I for one, would never had known this.
We just still gotta see what Cuppa Joe still has to say!