Retail in Retrospect: Hollywood Furniture & Hardware

Retail in Retrospect:

Hollywood Furniture & Hardware

By Sandi Butler Hughes

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As this issue of 4Memphis goes to press, a locally-owned retailer is in its final days of operation. On February 28, Hollywood Furniture & Hardware closed the chapter on 99 years in business at the corner of Chelsea and Hollywood in North Memphis. They built their business on treating customers with respect and courtesy and providing good value at fair prices. When cleaning out a warehouse as they prepared to close, a vintage sign was found with the slogan “House of Fair Dealings.” Perhaps that was the secret for their longevity. In 1924, Irene and Roy Sanford founded the small hardware store on the outskirts of Memphis. Over time the neighborhood grew, and so did their business. The Sanford’s daughter Marilyn and her husband Berl Garey joined the business, and together the family ran the store. The Garey’s four children grew up there, helping customers, making deliveries, sweeping floors, anything that needed to be done. Bart and Leslie, two of the Garey children, were the third generation to continue the Hollywood Furniture & Hardware legacy, and they are also the ones who made the difficult decision to close. While difficult, the time is right for them to take some well-earned time off.Hollywood Furniture & Hardware is a perfect example of what it is that makes small businesses remarkable: the people. The entrepreneurs with drive and spirit to create a business, and the patrons who support them and make it last. Local businesses create the unique fabric of our neighborhoods and communities, so shop local - it matters for Memphis.

Retail in Retrospect- Hollywood Furniture & Hardware