Janney's Ace Hardware, RIP

(Toledo, OH) Beyond a red fascia, little remains of Janney's Ace Hardware, a Toledo retail tradition for many decades. A combination of poor economic conditions in the area and increased competition from big box home improvement centers like Home Depot and Lowe's forced the owners to sell its property to a pharmacy chain.

Janney's was always my first choice when I needed items such as plumbing fixtures, lawn and garden items, or electrical supplies. I can honestly say that Janney's never once failed to have in stock an item for which I needed.

Soon even the building will be razed to make way for another paint-by-numbers drug store at Secor and Alexis Roads. I will miss the friendly staff and wide variety of products and services Janney's offered, and I suspect that the loss of this longtime local business is not a promising omen for other area business owners.