C & H Hardware in Yakima to close after nearly six and a half decades in business
There are less than seven days until a local hardware store in business since December 31, 1959 will close it’s doors for good.C & H Hardware on Fruitvale Avenue has been around for over six and a half decades, and has seen many changes. For one, current owner Jay Fleck started out as a customer.“We had an account set up here for the company and work for them," Fleck said. "So we bought a lot of nuts and bolts, light bulbs, and whatever we needed.”He lost his job, but the people at C & H had his back.“I came down here and knew I was unemployed at that time, and asked, well, if I wanted a job. So I started working here," Fleck said.Years later, he was given the opportunity to own the store.“People have always owned this," Fleck said. "It's always worked that way here. So it's kind of been handed down from employee to employee.”For a while, business was good, and then the pandemic hit.“It was smooth until COVID hit. Of course we were fortunate to have stayed open. A lot of other places had to shut down," Fleck said. "So we've done pretty good through COVID. And after that, it was kind of over. It's been a downhill slide ever since."The store is unable to compete with the prices and convenience of online shopping."This year has been tough because everybody's buying online now," Fleck said. "You can get stuff online cheaper than you can come in and pay us."While the shelves may be clearing, and the door will soon lock for one last time, Fleck is glad to have worked at and owned the neighborhood hardware store.“It's hard to let it go, because you loving and enjoying working here," Fleck said. "We love our customers. We've got some great customers. It's almost like some of them are family. So it's hard to see it go away.”The store will close on Wednesday, November 26 at noon.
