By Dustin Brown
Half of the sign for Long Island General Supply Company in Astoria still clings to the front of the building largely destroyed in an explosive fire Sunday, one of the only recognizable remnants of a store neighbors fondly recall for its extensive stock and friendly service.
The family-owned hardware store on Astoria Boulevard celebrated its 75th anniversary this year, a fact many neighbors said they only learned after it had burned to the ground.
“I didn’t even know how old it was,” said Carlos Hamlett, 22, a resident of the Astoria Houses and employee at the Astoria Branch of the Queens Public Library across the street from the store. “My mother said when she moved here in ‘53 it was standing tall then.”
The store was a fixture in the neighborhood, a place that had existed long before most arrived in Astoria and which many presumed would prevail long after they had left.
Alec Gordon founded the store in 1926, and he died only two weeks before the explosion leveled his 75-year-old enterprise. The store is now run by his son Randall and grandson Spencer, while a fourth generation of the Gordon family could often be seen hanging around the shop.
On a street lined with industrial stores and service companies, the close proximity of a well-stocked hardware store meant few needs went unmet for many of the surrounding businesses.
“They had everything in stock, so they were famous as a good hardware store where you could find everything that you needed,” said Tom Kunovic, an employee of Gold’s Plumbing and Heating across the street from the store.
Another employee at Gold’s said parking along the block surrounding Long Island General Supply is limited to commercial vehicles, as countless trucks would line the street every day to pick up supplies from the store.
It was not only significant for the industrial sector, however.
Long Island General Supply was located in a section of western Astoria where businesses and residences spanning all levels of the socioeconomic ladder converge along a few short blocks.
Ante-bellum mansions line 14th Street a few blocks north of the store, while the low-income Astoria Houses stretch directly west of it toward the East River. Long Island General Supply treated homeowners and apartment dwellers with the same friendly service that made their business clients keep coming back.
“It was the only one in the neighborhood,” said Opal Wills, the pianist at the Lighthouse Church adjacent to the hardware store. “It was really good — served the people wonderfully.”
“The owner was always outside smoking and cracking jokes,” Hamlett said. “They made people feel good when you went inside.”
With neighbors uncertain about whether the Gordons will decide to rebuild their business, FK Appliances owner Frank Kanakaris summed up one of the most common sentiments expressed around the neighborhood following the fire’s devastation.
“I hope they open soon,” he said wistfully.
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
