FERNDALE, Wash. — Ferndale True Value Hardware Owner Steve Martinson said he has made the decision to close his hardware business after 27 years at 2000 Main Street.
70-year-old Martinson told My Ferndale News, “I probably should have done this 5 years ago.”
Martinson said the previous owner had operated it as a Coast to Coast store up until a year before he bought it in July of 1993.
In addition to running his downtown business, Martinson served on the City of Ferndale Planning Commission from 2003 to 2011.
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Click for more informationIn 2017, Martinson advised the Ferndale City Council that his retail business had dropped off enough that he had to lay off half his staff after the traffic lights at 1st Avenue and Main Street were removed.
Martinson said he was unable to find a buyer to take over the business, so he is planning a retirement sale over the next few weeks to clear out his store’s inventory.
It was 4 years ago when another longtime fixture on Main Street, Hawley’s Auto Parts, located across 1st Avenue from Ferndale True Value Hardware, announced they were closing their doors. “They were there before we bought this business,” Martinson said. The building that housed Hawley’s Auto Parts at 1990 Main Street has remained empty since they closed and is owned by the same family that owns the building Martinson’s business has been located in.