Brookland True Value Store is closing.
Brookland Hardware mailed a letter to the Brookland community today announcing that Howard, the store owner, is retiring after 40 years, and will have a "Retirement-Store Closing Sale" staring on Thursday July 23rd through Wednesday July 29th. According to the mailer "This will be the largest sale in the history of the store.. and the last!"
We are very sad to hear that this Brookland institution is closing and wish Howard all the best in Retirement.
Thank you Howard for 40 years of community service to Brookland!
Update July 22nd 2015, 9:24am:
We just learned from a press release that "Anne Stom, owner of Annie’s Ace Hardware, today announced that Howard Politzer will be joining Annie’s Ace Hardware’s as a Senior Advisor to Ace’s newest retail location at 3405 8th Street NE in Brookland/Edgewood. After 40 years in the retail hardware business in Brookland, Howard will hold a retirement and liquidation sale starting Thursday, July 23 at Brookland Hardware, 3501 12th Street NE. All inventory will be sold at deep discounts. After the transition, Howard will advise the Ace team, bringing generations of knowledge and trust with him. "
Also it looks like there will be celebration event at the store on August 1st from 11 am-1 pm to celebrate and thank Howard for all that he has done for Brookland over the last 40 years. Cool!
Update July 29th 2015, 1:20 pm:
We stopped by the hardware store this morning to check on the sale and were happy to see that lots of neighbors were stopping by to take advantage of the sale and to catch up with Howard and wish him well in retirement.
IMPORTANT: Howard wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the sale is not just this week, "the sale will go on until everything is sold, down to the walls". So head on over there and pick up your piece of Brookland History. Also, Howard confirmed that all the employees will not be losing their jobs as they have all been offered and accepted positions at Annie's Ace Hardware. This is really great to hear as the employees of Brookland Hardware store, some with over 20 years of experience, are a community treasure and have an immense amount of knowledge to share.
While we were there we took a few more picture of the interior of the store. Here are a few of our favorite ones:
Tool aisle
Electrical aisle
Plumbing Aisle
Paint Aisle
Paint mixing machine
Paint can Shaker
Key cutting station
Glass cutting station
Brookland Hardware also sold lottery tickets. This is the sign above the machine.
1st dollar earned at the store 
Of course before you check out you must pick up a little something something for that sweet tooth!
Always helpful as the sign says:
I'm certainly going to miss this store. Each visit when in search of something this place has always accommodate my needs. Thank you Howard, I've enjoyed you so enjoy your retirement. You deserve it.
Posted by Keisha Cofield-Lynch on Monday, July 27th, 2015 at 2:51pmI am so filled with emotion on this closing. My father owned Brookland Hardware from the mid 40's until his sudden death in 1961. He started there as a truck driver in the late 20's and quickly went to managing it then bought the store from Paul Moore. I have so many childhood memories there. Before Christmas on a Sunday in November the family would go there and decorate the windows and the store and Daddy would put up his enormous set of Lionel Trains. It was very different then and I remember that old safe and recently found the combination in a his wallet. I can't imagine Brookland without it.
Posted by Patricia Quigley Lehr on Wednesday, July 29th, 2015 at 2:02amLeave A Comment