By Betsy Scheinbart
During the past 74 years, the neighborhood of Astoria has changed dramatically, but Simon’s Hardware has remained largely the same. Richard Smith started working there in 1949, when the store’s founder, Sadie Simon, was still running the shop.
“She considered me her son,” Smith said of Simon. “I started working there when I was 12.”
Sadie and Jacob Simon established Simon’s Hardware in 1927 and remained involved with the store for many years. Sadie lived to be 106 years old. They passed their store on to their sons, Seymore, who died in April, and Marc, who still works there.
Working his way up over the years, Smith is now the manager of the store, which stocks a variety of kitchen, bathroom and cleaning products. Smith said the store does more hardware and home improvement sales now than it did when he started in 1949.
In that era, the streets in Astoria all had names. Simon’s Hardware store sat on Potter, not 23rd Avenue, and the cross street was called Kindred, not 29th Street.
There were numerous open lots in the neighborhood, where kids played stick ball, handball and marbles, Smith said, and families stayed on the same block for generations.
“The older people got their daughters apartments close by and the whole block was always family,” Smith recalled. “People didn’t move away from each other and everybody knew each other by name.”
Astoria residents went to Ditmars Theater on Ditmars Boulevard and the Grand Theater on 31st Street and at the nearby Triboro Theater, all of which no longer exist.
When Smith was growing up in the 1940s and ‘50s, Astoria was filled with Greek, Italian, Bohemian and Jewish families. Now the older Greek and Italians still remain, while young executives are moving to the area as well.
“We’re getting a lot of the yuppies — and I love them,” Smith said. “We are also getting a lot of artistic people and actors.”
Smith remarked on the business changes in the neighborhood, with the influx of restaurants, as well as bodegas, delis and candy shops.
“Years ago, we had ladies’ shops and the businesses were more diverse,” Smith said. “Now it is mostly restaurants and candy shops – and the Genovese, which replaced the old five-and-dime — the Woolworth’s” on Ditmars Boulevard at 31st Street.
While stores have changed and old buildings have come down, Simon’s has remained on 23rd Avenue between 31st and 29th streets and Bartunek’s Hardware has been in existence down the block for just as long, Simon said.
“There is no competition between him and I,” Smith said of the other hardware store. “If I don’t have it — I say: ‘go to Bartunek’s’ and he says the same thing.’”
People who have lived in the neighborhood for many years continue to come by for everything from light bulbs to shower curtains and other supplies for every room in the home.
“A lot of kids that grew up here bring their kids here and say: ‘Richard, you knew me when I was this age,’” Smith remarked, “I’ve watched all the generations come through.”
Reach reporter Betsy Scheinbart by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300 Ext. 138.
