San Francisco hardware store to close after 88 years

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – After nearly a century in business, Papenhausen Hardware in San Francisco’s West Portal neighborhood is closing its doors.

Andrew Bley, who lives up the street from the family business, says he and others love that the area is covered in small businesses. He says losing Papenhausen is like losing a close friend. 

“West Portal is such a vibrant area and such a neighborhood, a village in the city. This is going to be a real blow,” he said. 

Announcing Papenhausen Hardware’s closure was hard for store manager and partner Andrew Aguilar. He said he started working there in 1995 when he was 22 years old and his son now helps out around the shop. 

“I’m used to seeing the same people every day. I’ve watched them grow up, their kids grow up and move away and back and being right in the epicenter of that,” he said. 

Aguilar says the store is closing because of financial problems linked to the pandemic. He says foot traffic in the area dropped significantly, and there are not enough parking spots for customers.

“We wish we didn’t have to go, but we hope that we made your life better,” he said. 

Other longtime customers like AJ Adler hope the store gets at least replaced with another local business.

“Kind of sad to see local stores closing. I miss local business, so I kind of like that it's small and easy to go in, it's not some major Home Depot type where you can go in and grab a few things that you need without wasting a lot of time,” he said.