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Shabbar Ali, owner and manager of Burhan Hardware Store, the new hardware at 4947 Broadway in Inwood stands with his two staffers, Anthony Aguilar, and Roberto Arias. Ali explains that customers have been very welcoming. “The reaction has been great,” he says.
Story and photos by Gloria Pazmiño
The shelves are just about filled to capacity with everything from painting supplies, plumbing hardware, screws, and house ware items at Burhan Hardware store, the newest addition to the commercial corridor on West 207th Street.
In the new storefront business located at 4947 Broadway, between West 207th and West 211th Streets, manager and owner Shabbir Ali smiles from behind the new counter.
“We’re new to the neighborhood, but very happy to be here,” he says. Ali and his brothers have been working up to the grand opening for over six months, and when the store finally welcomed its first customer last week, the response from interested passerby and customers, he said, was overwhelmingly one of welcome.
“Everyone has been stopping by to tell us that the neighborhood needed a hardware store. The reaction has been great,” said Ali.
The brothers opened their first hardware store on the Upper West Side at West 105th Street and Broadway over ten years ago, and decided to make Northern Manhattan home their second location after learning that a lot of their customers were moving north.
“A lot of our customers said they were moving uptown because of rising rent costs, [so] we wanted to follow them here, and provide a service and a product the neighborhood might not had access to before,” he explained.
The new and revamped commercial space was the former home of Dick’s Hardware, which had been in business for more than 40 years, but closed its doors about two years ago.
As the store is still being filled with merchandise, Ali said that they’re welcoming specific suggestions from the community, and will accommodate to its shopping needs.
“We want to offer supplies for everyone, from those who will paint and remodel their homes, to someone who might just be looking for a new coffeemaker or iron,” he said.
On a recent visit to the store, neighborhood residents seemed pleased with the new retail experience.
Mara Rodriguez, an Inwood resident, was shopping for a new sink faucet.
“I’m so glad they’ve opened,” she said, as she stood between rows of neatly arranged shelves. “We needed this store badly, [and] they’re super helpful and friendly. Now I can just walk down the street for what I need.”
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