A bit of this, a bit of that
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HOWLAND -- If Andrews Shopping Center doesn't have it, you don't need it.
What's become the unofficial slogan of the store, which has stood on the same spot in Howland Corners for almost 70 years, pretty much sums up what the building holds inside.
"I've heard people say that before, but I don't exactly know how true it is," said owner Harmon Andrews Jr. with a soft chuckle.
Part hardware store, part hobby shop and part museum, with a little old-fashioned country store thrown in for good measure, Andrews Shopping Center almost defies description.
Walk through the door and you are just as likely to be greeted by one of the store cats -- Cola and Yella -- as you are by an employee. And if they don't say hello right away, the morning group of regulars -- friends and neighbors of the Andrews family -- are sure to at least nod in your direction.
"They come in, drink their coffee and solve all the world's problems," explains Harmon Andrews III, who runs the operation with his father.
Longtime friend
Ralph Difford, a former contractor from Warren, seats himself by the door, reading the paper as one of the regulars. He's known the family for years, he said, and even had the chance to run into the elder Harmon a few times during World War II.
Both men graduated from high school in the 1940s, and entered military service in the Air Force. They were both lucky enough to remain stationed stateside, but their paths kept crossing in North Carolina.
After they came back home, Andrews started in his business full time, and Difford started his contracting work in the Mahoning Valley. The friendship has remained strong ever since, they say.
Karen Bandy, who has worked for the Andrews family for more than 26 years, said most of the people who hang out in the mornings come for the coffee, which is practically free, and the conversation, which is always good.
"It's a fun place, and these are fun people," she said. "If they weren't nice people, would I come in here on my day off for coffee?"
The elder Andrews likes to run his business that way. He admits that sometimes it's a struggle to keep things running in a world dominated by corporate-owned hardware stores. That's part of why Andrews Shopping Center has become such a hodgepodge collection of items.
Added on over the years
The original portion of the building, constructed in the early 1930s by Andrews' father and one of his friends, housed a gas station and lunch counter. Before Andrews left for the war, the family got a machine to start selling frozen custard.
"But when I came back after the war, it was hard to sell some of that stuff because you couldn't find the supplies anywhere," he said.
So, he decided it was time to expand. A lean-to was closed in and expanded and became a small restaurant; essentially it was still a lunch counter, but just had more seating space, he said.
"Then one day a buddy of mine came in and said there was a hardware store that was going under and he could get me a good deal on the stuff," Andrews said. "So I talked it over with my dad, and we decided to buy it and bring it all into the basement here."
As money came in and the business did better and better, the family added on to the original stone building and expanded services. After a few years of digging around in the basement for items farmers in the area needed, Andrews decided to operate a full-fledged hardware store.
In recent years, his son has turned a portion of the store into a hobby shop, complete with Lionel Train displays and sales.
Hodgepodge
It's hard to distinguish sometimes what's for sale and what's on display in Andrews Shopping Center. A player piano sits in one aisle, ready to play one of 15 songs when a quarter is dropped in. Some of the elder Andrews' antique cars and motorcycles are roped off along another wall. The walls are lined with pictures of Warren and Howland from the late 1800s and early 1900s. And mixed in among the treasures are bins of nuts and bolts, cleaning supplies and tools.
Many of the items on display are from Andrews' personal collection, and others are donations from friends and neighbors. Some of the items he has even donated to local history museums.
The elder Andrews said coming in every day, making coffee and visiting with friends is fine by him these days, but he knows Andrews Shopping Center is not a true moneymaking venture. His son understands that too, but said he has no intentions of letting the family history go. When his father decides to retire, the younger Andrews is ready to take the helm.
"I have a college degree, so I could have gone anywhere and done anything to make more money than I do here," he said. "But I am a traditionalist. I would hate to have to be the one to shut down what's been such a big part of our family."
slshaulis@vindy.com