EDITORIALS A staple of business life on one of America’s Main Steets.
A Main Street institution is closing after nearly 80 years.
Since its opening in 1926, Cranbury Paint & Hardware has been a fixture. Grills and lawn mowers would line the sidewalk in front of the store during the warmer months, while local residents would flock to it when the temperature dropped or snow was forecast seeking snow shovels, salt and other equipment.
But times change and the store has found itself on the losing end of a battle it never had a chance at winning.
Over the last dozen years, three Home Depot and two Lowe’s stores have opened in neighboring towns, as have several Targets and Wal-Marts. The large chain stores have huge advertising budgets and attract shoppers from around the region. During the last couple of years, Cranbury Paint & Hardware has been finding it more and more difficult to compete.
According to its owner, Rocco D’Armiento, the store has been experiencing a decline in revenue and is now losing money. He said sales of large-ticket items such as lawn mowers and barbecue grills are half of what they were a year ago.
So he is closing his doors June 1. The building is being bought by an independent businessman who plans to open a furniture store.
Over the next five weeks, the store will liquidate its stock and Mr. D’Armiento will tie up some loose ends before turning to real estate as his new full-time profession.
And a new store will be taking its place. The business life of the village will move on, but it is hard not to mourn a time when stores like Cranbury Paint & Hardware were a staple on America’s Main Streets.

