Where time stands still Where time stands still (May 22, 2002)

Peninsula Hardware a throwback to a simpler era

by Daryl Savage

I n a culture where time is measured in megahertz and space in gigabytes, it's unusual to find a place in Palo Alto where time stands still and the size hasn't changed for 45 years.

A walk through the door of Peninsula Hardware at 2676 Middlefield Road is a walk back into time. Store owner Gary Burke, who was born and raised in Palo Alto, still plays by the old rules. He is a low-tech guy by anyone's definition.

"I've never used an ATM machine. Don't know how. And I never really got interested in the computer. I have to ask my wife to get me into a program," he said.

Burke's hardware store is a reflection of his simple life.

His employees and many customers also look the part of a different era. Plaid, short-sleeved shirts are the norm. Nowhere in the store's narrow aisles will an observer find anyone sporting Versace, Tommy Hilfiger or Ralph Lauren duds.

"This is an old-fashioned place. I started working here when I was 11 years old and it looks pretty much the same now," Burke said.

Burke has fond memories of the earlier days. "My dad owned the store back then and I came here every day after school. I liked to work here," he said. When his father died in 1982, the younger Burke became the owner.

When the store passed down from father to son, very little changed. "It's a small place but I pack it pretty full," he said. The 2,500-square-foot Midtown store, which is about the size of many homes in that neighborhood, is so cramped that customers have to turn sideways to get through the aisles.

Burke admits his store is not doing a blockbuster business, but is surviving. "There is competition now," he said. The location of Burke's store is within a few miles of Home Depot, Orchard Supply and Palo Alto Hardware.

"But we're staying put here. We're not going anywhere," he said.

Besides nearby competing stores, other things have changed also. "It used to be that reps came in here on the weekends to explain things to customers -- how things work. We had a lot of reps back then, but not anymore," Burke said.

Homeowners also shopped more at Peninsular Hardware in the earlier days. "People used to do their own repairs." Now, he added, they hire contractors who go elsewhere for materials.

"Sometimes they'll come in here for 'onesies and twosies' but they buy in bulk from bigger places, like the Home Depots," he said.

One contractor lives just down the block from Peninsula Hardware. "I come in here now and then because it's more personal than the bigger stores," said Tom O'Connor, a Palo Alto electrical contractor.

O'Connor enjoys the convenience of the store. "I like this place for its bits and pieces. There are a lot of odds and ends -- a lot of the old stuff is in here that you can't find in other places," he said. >

E-mail Daryl Savage at dsavage@paweekly.com