Hardware Store Closures Span Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania

Three longtime family-run hardware stores are closing: Oakwood Village Hardware and Supply in Ohio, Brownstown Hardware, and Piscitello’s Home Center in Pennsylvania. Oakwood Village Hardware, founded in 1986, closed Sept. 30; its owner cited rising fixed costs and the store’s failure to build an online presence as factors that made it harder to compete. Brownstown Hardware is ending its 117-year run after big-box retailers and the shift toward online shopping eroded business, with the Wessel family recalling the store’s role in both their lives and the community. Piscitello’s, established in 1958, will close Oct. 30, and its owners are holding a liquidation sale while completing existing special orders. Across the closures, owners and families emphasized the personal service, community ties and family histories that defined the stores.