Shifting Tides

This article was submitted to the LongmeadowBuzz blog by Betsy Port- a long time resident of Longmeadow.

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Warm weather is finally here and it is the time of the year that I love to get out in the garden, digging and planting. Last week I went to the hardware store I love to get some potting soil and miscellaneous tools. Walking into the familiar setting, I saw Ken and we chatted. Somehow I fought back the tears…keeping my emotions in check. Brightwood Hardware is moving to Enfield, Connecticut this summer after fifty years in our town. We will all miss this local landmark! Carr Hardware will merge with Brightwood and you may have seen the truck in the parking lot recently.

Vividly I remember the first time we stepped into Brightwood and met Moe Fieldstone in the summer of 1996. His store felt welcoming and friendly in a world taken over by malls and big box stores. “I might like living here!” I thought to myself.  He could find everything easily although his inventory totaled thousands of items. When I asked for paint, he said, “Follow the footsteps!” and my little kids and I headed down the stairs. ...just like a follow the leader game, what fun! He was helpful and knowledgeable and could offer advice about the area when we asked for directions or needed something he did not carry.

Moe told us to buy lampshades in West Hartford, he suggested a place to buy plants in East Longmeadow, and he sold us a caulking and electrical supplies for our old fixer upper. It took us years, but somehow our house became updated and modernized thanks to the supplies and tools available at Brightwood. The kids loved to visit the talking parrot in the basement, while I discussed ant traps or the possible need for deer blood to keep the squirrels away from my bulbs. Speaking of bulbs, we bought many light bulbs there in all shapes and sizes, from little night-lights to large floodlights for the front yard. I found a large Welcome mat for the entrance to our home. We fertilized the garden beds, bought an ice chopper, and we even stocked up on the drain declogger that is a much sought after staple and an item we do not want to run out of. Later, as the years passed and the children got older we got a dog. We gave Dave a lot of business as Cody continually jumped on the screen door and it needed annual fixing. “let me in”, the puppy said silently. Basically, Moe and his staff became our home support system to a young family relocating to New England who knew almost no one here twenty years ago. The kids could buy candy and some small toys as I perused the aisles looking for plastic shelf paper or a spool of twine. They made keys for us and sharpened our scissors many times over. We put change in the MS donation container and got a piece of gum. Every time I bought a peppermint paddy I was reminder of my grandfather in Connecticut who gave them to me as a child.

So why am I feeling so emotional about a hardware store? I am taking this opportunity to reminisce because I know our time here will change without a local place for home supplies. The tides of change are becoming more obvious as I see mounds of dirt near the bank – are they building the pyramids? Where will the farmer’s market go? I know a huge CVS will be built but will the homey charm of this neighborhood shopping area in the suburbs still retain that local feeling I like?  The Big Y will improve and that is a very welcome change, but I might miss the small town feeling evident when we arrived here. Little businesses get swallowed up in this modern world, and I know that we must all adapt to the changing times. Bigger isn’t always better, although I know the bigger shopping options across the way at the shops will allow for a redesigned parking lot that we hope will bring with it a safer flow of traffic. I am just feeling thankful that my children knew a local old-fashioned hardware store that was warm, friendly and convenient. As for me, I will trek to Enfield along route 5 and think of the good ole days! I won’t go anywhere else – that is loyalty! I am feeling thankful that the tradition will continue nearby.

Betsy Port
Longmeadow Resident