Have you ever walked the aisles of a hardware store and been surprised by some of what they sold? After looking at issues of Hardware Dealers’ Magazine from 1901, I realized hardware stores have always sold more than just screws, tools, wood, and garden equipment. These advertising cuts show some of 1901’s product lines:
Hardware Dealers’ Magazine began publishing in 1894 and ceased in 1929. It focused on advertising, but of course the journal did contain articles. Most of the articles covered topics like association meetings, important people, and the state of the industry. There were also articles focused on new items for consumers; in July, for example, it was self-wringing mops, miller ladders (those with hinged joints), electric doorbells, and lawn sweepers. Other articles discussed running and improving a business. One, also in July, gave an example of how to display a window of Bissell sweepers. The August issue had articles about modern hardware store fittings, a store opening in Duluth, and hardware store bookkeeping; and articles on store advertising appeared in October and November. A notable exception to these types of articles, which I found in the 1901 issues, was a monthly series that ran from June through October about hardware manufacturers exhibiting at the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo.
For me, the advertisements were the real star of this journal. Each issue was chock full of advertisements from name brand manufacturers and jobbers, for everything a hardware store owner would need to create displays and stock a store. There was a convenient A-Z list of business names, addresses, goods advertised, and page numbers for the ads that ran in each issue. While I saw an ad for some bathroom related accessories, I didn’t see any for kitchen sinks (though it wouldn’t surprise me if I just missed them). Here is some of what was being advertised, grouped together in a few categories:
Hardware and equipment: ladders, screws, drill bits, woodworking tools, general tools, hand drills, saws
For the lawn and garden: rakes, shovels, fruit pickers, fencing, wire screen, rope, lawn sweepers, lawn mowers
For the home: fans, doorknobs, varnishes and paints, paint brushes, shaving/safety razors, ice cream freezers, eggbeaters, kettles, shelf brackets, irons, door/window locks, bathroom specialties (soap dishes, toilet paper holders), silverware, stoves, metal ceiling tiles, automatic wringers, vegetable slicers, clothes dryers, burglar alarms, padlocks, french fry slicers
Sports and miscellaneous items: scissors, bicycles and bicycle bells, rat traps, horseshoes, lamps, shotguns and air rifles, ammunition, fishing lures, horse feedbags, harness dressing, carriage and sleigh heaters, bird cages, bob sled skates, tin cash boxes, roller skates, punching bags, sewing machines, board games
Retail display/equipment: rolling step ladders, cash recording machines, bolt and screw cases, shelving, revolving whip racks and display stands, hardware price books
This is a nifty publication for tool collectors, but it might be a publication to keep in mind for anyone who is interested in older gadgets and equipment.