The site of the old Dale Hardware Store, at Dale and Bredell avenues, is for sale. Schlafly Development Corp. is the broker.
The Monahan family owns the lot (7715-7729 Dale Avenue), according to St. Louis County records.
Schlafly has purchased and redeveloped buildings in Maplewood at 7458 Manchester Road (Side Project Brewery), 7412 Manchester (design, and architectural firms), 7434 Manchester (Gus’s Fried Chicken), 2731 Sutton Boulevard (Sense Corp.) and 2810-2818 Sutton Boulevard (Bolyard’s Meats, Living Room, Urban Breath Yoga and others).
At 7401 Manchester Road, a Schlafly building, The Blue Duck opened on Tuesday, Feb. 14. The front of the building is available for retail. August Schlafly, with Schlafly Corp., said they expect to have it leased by summer.
Before Dale Hardware we only had two Hardware stores in the area. One being Scheidt Hardware in Maplewood and Riley Haedware in Richmond Heights. Riley was in the 7400 blk of Warner Ave. I can remember the Riley’s were a big part of that city. I believe Fire Chief, Police Chief, City Manager and a few other job in Richmond Heights. But like other business in the area they closed as the BIG box stores moved in. You are right, about Dale Hardware and the help Mel would give to his customers. His type of service has been missing for a long time.
There was also Empire Hardware in Maplewood, established in 1931.
Are used to stop and dale hardware as I went home from West Richmond grade school. The owner was a great guy who is to hang around looking at all the stuff. Too bad it closed. This was back in around 55 and 56.
Free advertising for Schlafly – like they need it!
I lived on Dale Ave in the late 90’s. 98 I think. I was there for 7 or 8 years. I don’t ever remember Dale Harware being at that location. There were a couple of small houses at that spot. I remember them being torn down. The only Dale Hardware I remember was where Ultimate Bride is now. This has had me wondering all day.
When did Dale Hardware close? I assume it was before 2008, which is when I moved to the area?
Don – Others could answer this better. Dale Hardware was there when I moved to the area in the late ’80s. It then moved to Big Bend, before closing.
I remember going to both locations with my father in the 70’s and 80’s. The building is still there on Dale, right next to the lot with the for sale sign, and I believe that the lot that is for sale contained one or two houses that were torn down. The lot may have been bought by the owner of the Dale Hardware building at some point in time.
Oh how I can still remember the smell of that old hardware store. My father would go to Dale Hardware or Scheidt depending on which family member’s house that he was doing a repair on.
I would say it closed in the early 2000s. Home Depot unfortunately drove them out of business. Their Big Bend location is now The Ultimate Bride at 1115 S Big Bend. After Dale Hardware closed, it was the temporary home for Walgreens while they were doing their renovation. I remember biking to the Walgreens when I was in 6th or 7th grade, and that was back on 04 or 05 or so. So I am guessing Dale Hardware closed before then.
Dale Hardware opened in 1953 and was on Dale until the late ’80s-early ’90s, when it moved to Big Bend, where the Ultimate Bride is now. It closed in 2003.
Thank you for checking into this, Doug.