Hardware Store Has a Soft Spot for the Neighborhood

By Annie Lubin

In a sea of Home Depots, Ace Hardwares and Lowe’s Home Improvements, it’s something rare to find a family-owned and operated store where everybody knows your name—and if they don’t, they make the effort to find it out.

So I guess you can call Upper West Siders lucky, since that is exactly what they have in Beacon’s Paint and Hardware, a 111-year-old, community-friendly store that has been owned and operated by the Stark family since 1971.

“We love the neighborhood and I think they love us. We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” said Bruce, the eldest Stark, who has been working in the store with his father Mel since the very beginning.

Over the years, his brother Steve and sister Ellen Gabe got on board, making it a true family business.

This emphasis on family ties extends beyond the three Starks and has come to engulf the entire community, as Bruce, 54, believes customer service and community service should go hand in hand.

So when nearby P.S. 87 needed paint for a mural they came to the Starks, who gave it to them for free. And when a local school needed lighting for a school production, the Starks were there not only to lend them the lights but to install them as well. And when parents come in asking for donations for school auctions, the Starks are ready with their Bucket of Tools, filled with around $300 worth of merchandise.

“We’re always happy to help,” said Bruce.

And the community service doesn’t end there. Every year, the Starks sponsor a walk-a-thon for the charity of their choice. This year, they got over 500 people to participate in the event and raised over $17,000 for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a nonprofit dedicated to training dogs for the blind and visually impaired.

The Starks are also heavily involved in graffiti cleanup throughout the community, donating the paint and their time to clean graffiti off of mailboxes and fire hydrants.

All of this outstanding service does not go unrecognized, as the awards seem to be piling up for the owners of Beacon’s. In 2008, they were named New York City’s small business of the year and were named the national paint retailer of the year in 2008 and 2009. That same year they placed third of over 4,000 nominees in the American Express Shine a Light on Small Businesses contest.

“Nobody beats us in customer service,” said Bruce, “Anywhere we can help, we’ve always been willing.”

So the next time you walk by Beacon’s on Amsterdam Avenue near 77th Street, stop in and you’ll be greeted with a warm hello. Unless it’s Halloween, when you’ll find Bruce outside, dressed as a New York Met and handing out neon glow sticks—giving back to the community, as he and the rest of the family always are, in their own personal way.