T & T Hardware Prepares To Close

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- T & T hardware was one of several such stores on East Carson Street when business was good.

Now, it's the only one left, but not for long.

The store that opened in 1936 will close by the end of this year.

Mark McNally has worked there for 15 years, the last 10 as a manager.

T & T hardware was founded by Stanley Tumas who passed it down to his son, Michael.

"Little by little these places are getting squeezed out," McNally said.

Countless customers have walked on that wooden floor and searched the shelves and walls for that certain something that would make something else work.

There are hundreds of little wooden drawers that have been there right from the start, with very unusual handles.

There's a reason for that. What you see on the outside is what you'll find on the inside.

McNally described that when the business started in 1936, a lot of immigrants worked on the South Side. He said that most of the people spoke poor English and could not describe what they wanted, but could easily point to the drawer.

Those mills have closed and the neighborhood has changed from owners to renters and the big box stores have moved in. The back room is filled, floor to ceiling, with inventory that will be sold for 50 percent off, starting Monday.

"Two generations made a living out of it, but it's time," McNally said. "It's time."