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Brown's Hardware to Close by April 1, Mayor Hardi Offers Reassurances

Brown's Hardware to Close by April 1, Mayor Hardi Offers Reassurances
Founded in 1883, Brown's Hardware at 100 W. Broad St., is the City's oldest, most iconic retailer. The hardware store will shutter by April 1. Courtesy Visit Falls Church.

With breaking news of the City of Falls Church’s most iconic and oldest corner store – Brown’s Hardware at 100 W. Broad St. (est. 1883) – closing by April 1, sadness swept the Little City and beyond. 

For this story, The Falls Church Independent asked City of Falls Church Mayor Letty Hardi for her views on the loss of perhaps the City’s greatest retail landmark. 

During the Gilded Age, when James W. Brown first opened up "Brown’s Groceries and Hardware" at the corner of Broad and Washington Streets in 1883, customers arrived by horse and carriage or on foot, Chester Arthur was the 21st President, Thomas Edison had just strung up his new electric light contraptions, the Underground Railroad pioneer Harriet Tubman was still alive, and the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show just debuted in Nebraska.

That’s how long Brown’s Hardware has been around.

"By horse and carriage." Founded in 1883, Brown's Hardware has been at the corner of Broad and Washington Streets for 142 years.

But now, just a few doors down from the park honoring the store’s “Mr. Brown,” doors will be shuttering in just a few months. 

“At the end of March, the oldest business in Falls Church will close its doors,” The Pulse reported Jan. 19. “Brown’s Hardware, a landmark in the City since 1883, will shutter with the April 1 sale of the property on the northwest corner of Broad and Washington Streets." Neither the buyer nor "plans for the location" have "yet been made public.”

"While supplies last!" Courtesy Brown's Hardware on Facebook.

“John Taylor, current owner of the name ‘Brown’s Hardware’ and the business itself, explained that the land and the building in which the store is located, and the parking lot are held in a family trust,” The Pulse continued. “When he died on November 5, 2018, Hugh Rose Brown, the third generation to own and operate Brown’s Hardware, had no children of his own. He left the business to Mr. Taylor, his longtime store manager, and the property to his heirs, Charles Brown of Augusta, Georgia, and cousins throughout the east coast.”

Hugh Brown, grandson of the store's founder James W. Brown, of Brown's Hardware, is presented with a fire helmet from the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department in recognition of his "lifetime of giving to the City of Falls Church." Hugh Brown's father, Horace E. Brown was one of the FCVFD's original trustees. Facebook photo.

“As a result, ‘there was always a chance that such a sale would happen,’ Mr. Taylor said,’” according to The Pulse. “He does not know what will replace the hardware store but anticipates the space will be gutted and a long-term lease of five to ten years sought by the new landlord, perhaps for a restaurant. The City assessed the value of the property at $1,322,400 in 2024; it is probable that the sale price is multiples of that amount.”

Mr. Taylor says he has no plans to continue Brown’s Hardware at another location, despite efforts by some City representatives to persuade him to do so,” The Pulse reported. “With the closure of Brown’s, the Falls Church community is losing another of its distinctive and valued features.” 

Mayor Hardi Offers Reassurances for Small Businesses

“It’s such a nice and iconic corner of the City and it’s the oldest business, so we’re really sad to lose it,” Mayor Hardi told us concerning the loss of Brown's. “But, I think what’s important for people to understand is that it’s a privately-owned transaction and I think the operator of Brown’s, John Taylor, also wanted to take the opportunity to retire. So, of course, we wish him well.”

The mayor also wanted people to know the corner will remain vibrant for small businesses. “We want to reassure people about what’s going to happen at the corner. The City’s Comprehensive Plan and Small Area Plans don’t call for a massive re-development. They call for keeping it kind of low-density retail.”

“We know there’s development happening across the City, but I think that in order to keep the City interesting, I personally always believe that you want a mix of uses, you want a mixture of buildings, heights, and densities, and that corner certainly is very important,” the mayor continued. “So, we don’t know of any plans for re-development or assemblage of any of those parts of the City.”

And why is it good for the City to keep the scale of the corner as it is? “I just think it makes a more interesting city, right? Nobody wants, and none of the planning documents call for, eight stories up and down Broad Street,” Hardi said. “I think in order to have small businesses, you need to have a mix of sizes of buildings. And older buildings are often more affordable. And that’s what makes Falls Church unique in having something for all these small businesses in town.”

And what can people who feel that way do now? “So, more important than ever is to shop local!” Hardi emphasized. “Because, I think it’s pretty amazing that Brown’s has been in business as long as it has in the face of Big Box retail and the convenience of shopping on Amazon. I think this is a good reminder for thinking about where your dollars go. And voting with your wallet!”

But, the mayor shares in the sadness of seeing Brown’s Hardware go. “I actually need to get a Korky Flapper for my toilet, so instead of going to Seven Corners or Merrifield, my plan is to go from City Hall to Brown’s and I will certainly miss that," she said. "It’s a really great, convenient option in town. I hope that eventually another hardware store decides to open in Falls Church. It’s definitely a daily retail need people have in Falls Church.”

While City staff are aware of transactions relating to 100 W. Broad St., they’re keeping it confidential for now, Mayor Hardi confirmed. 


By Christopher Jones