HistoricOmaha

Omaha World Herald
Published September 15, 2006

BY MAHALIA ASANAENYI

fter almost a century in the business, a hardware store in the downtown Benson area will close by the end of October.

Owners Dan and Mary Cox announced the closing of Benson True Value Hardware, 6065 Maple St., to customers this week.

“It is a bittersweet closing, but it’s time,” Mary Cox said.

The hardware store has existed in Benson since 1914. Dan Cox purchased it in 1985. The Coxes said they have fought for several years to do business in historic downtown Benson, but ultimately sagging sales and competition forced them out.

In 2001, sales dropped 25 percent to 30 percent and never recovered. Over the years, Dan Cox said his staff size has decreased from 12 to seven.

“It just doesn’t make business sense anymore,” Dan Cox said.

What the Cox family faces mirrors what other small Omaha hardware stores have fought against in recent years.

Since the nation’s top three hardware retailers tapped into Omaha market, some smaller shops have found it harder to compete and closed their businesses.

Last fall, Dundee Hardware closed after more than 50 years in business. In 2003, Benson Trustworthy Hardware closed.

“With the big (stores) like Home Depot, it’s hard for the little man to compete,” said Richard Belanger, a regular at Benson True Value.

The Coxes’ announcement surprised many who thought the hardware store would ride the wave of new development and revitalization in the downtown Benson area.

The store is named along with other area merchants as one of the supporters of a city-sponsored alliance.

That alliance unveiled its plan Thursday for the area bounded by Western Avenue and Sorensen Parkway and 72nd Street and Fontenelle Boulevard, including downtown Benson.

Among other things, the plan calls for beautifying Maple Street, building townhouses and restructuring the Northwest Radial to create a “parkway feel.”

But, it also calls for creating vibrant commercial centers that offer different goods and services from others in the area.

The plan identifies nine commercial centers in the area, including one at 72nd and Ames Streets where a Home Depot is situated.

“It is a matter of what are the most viable businesses to ensure long-term successes,” said Connie Spellman, an alliance steering committee member and executive director of Omaha By Design.

Spellman pointed to the plan as a guide for rebuilding strong commercial areas and locating businesses for maximum success. She suggested that competition may have hurt Benson True Value.

She said she does not think the loss will change the character of the business district from one-stop shopping to an area containing strictly dining or entertainment venues.

While the closing may not have rippling effects in Benson, local merchant Janet Wetovick-Bily said the news is still disappointing.

“It’s sad to see the loss of a neighborhood mainstay,” said Wetovick-Bily, owner of Petals By Janet. “They had been a rock, a real foundation in the community.”

Hardware stOmaha.com: Hardware store in Benson to close