End of an era: Bernhardt-Seagle closes

On Saturday, George Bernhardt Jr. turned out the lights and locked the doors of Bernhardt-Seagle Hardware. And with that final turn of the key, 179 years of Caldwell County history came to a bittersweet end.

The closure of the family-owned operation marks the culmination of a business that traces its roots to the early days of the Andrew Jackson administration, a full 12 years before Caldwell County officially was carved out of Burke and Wilkes counties.

Since announcing the store liquidation plan a month ago, Bernhardt and his employees have been selling existing stock at steeply discounted prices. As of Friday morning, items such as paint cans, nuts and bolts, and PVC plumbing pipe still lined the shelves or found a temporal place in boxes and bins. On Saturday the store's aisles and checkout were crammed with shoppers and well-wishers. Many stopped to tell Bernhardt that they would miss the store.

Soon even the shelves will disappear, along with other store fixtures, perhaps the property of another retailer or occupying space in a private workroom.

“I've been surprised that it all hasn't sold,” Bernhardt said while patrons, both the curious and those looking for a deal, milled about in the Main Street store located in downtown Lenoir. “I think people have just been more cautious this season with the economy the way it is.”

According to Bernhardt, the items that are not sold will be purchased by bulk vendors from out of town. He adds that customers have expressed regret in losing what is believed to be the second oldest family-owned hardware store in the country.

“They tell me they don't like it,” Bernhardt said. “I don't like it all. I'm not doing this because I want to.”

Bernhardt - who lost his father, George Bernhardt Sr., in February - believes the demands of economic society have shifted from service-oriented retail businesses to bottom-line pricing and convenience. And although he remains supportive of the renovations in Lenoir's downtown, he readily admits that previous construction in the area siphoned away business that never fully returned.

Indeed, the venerable corner hardware store, once a symbol of the American entrepreneurial spirit, only too quickly continues its fade from the scene. According to the North American Retail Hardware Association, the 10 largest “Big Box” hardware and lumber retailers accounted for 55.6 of the industry's sales in 2006, up from 50.8 percent in 2002.

It's fairly easy to see out of whose pocket that increasing dominance is affecting.

Bernhardt said small retailers who specialize in high-end niche products likely will be able to survive into the future. He added that he could have kept the store open a while longer, but didn't want to get into a position where the bills would be late.

“It's probably going to take two or three years for the economy to work itself out,” said Bernhardt.

Too long for a business that spanned six generations of Bernhardt's family and 44 years of his own labor.

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