The Peru Gazette

Posted November 20, 2008 by John T. Ryan

Peru Hardware at 2971 Main St. is undoubtedly one of our community’s oldest businesses. Percy and Lula Brown opened the store’s doors in 1946. Their son Doug and his wife Helen took over in 1963. In 1985 Doug and Helen’s daughter Wendy and her husband Bob Silverman purchased the business and operate it today.

Anyone looking closely at the Peru Hardware building gets an immediate sense of the building’s history. (Click for more photos) The year “1856” appears in a stone block midway up the building’s front. Wendy Silverman said that prior to being made into a hardware store the building served as a movie theater and a mortuary. She explained, “The building wasn’t used for wakes since in those days wakes took place in the home, usually in the parlor. Instead embalming took place in the basement and caskets were displayed on the third floor. Parlor furniture was sold on the main floor where we sell hardware today.”

Older customers entering the store’s main floor probably can still picture Percy Brown or Doug Brown behind the counter since the store has changed very little over the years. The shelves are packed with all the items hardware stores normally sell and more. The store has the reputation of having that hard to find item. Customers, especially people who don’t like the “sameness” of the chain stores, love to roam the store’s aisles wondering what they’ll discover around the next corner. If they’re looking for something specific all they have to do is ask and Wendy will almost always quickly find the item. In addition to hardware the store has a complete GE home appliances line. Bob Silverman services everything the store sells and is well known for his plumbing and electrical skills. Many customers also come to the store for glass replacement and window screen repair.

Wendy and Bob met while attending college in Troy, NY. Wendy was a student at Russell Sage College and Bob was studying at Renasselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). One summer Wendy decided to change college majors. She and Bob met one another when she enrolled in summer school and rented a room in Bob’s fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi. Though they were from vastly difference backgrounds (Peru vs. New York City), a relationship developed. They married in June following their 1980 graduation. Wendy graduated with a degree in Health Education and Bob in Electrical Engineering. Bob had some retail experience having worked in a bank and a bike shop while he was in college. He also loved Peru from the first moment he saw it. Wendy said, “Bob thought this was such beautiful country. He thought it was paradise.” So the couple moved back to Wendy’s hometown where Bob joined Doug Brown at Peru Hardware. In 1985 Wendy’s mom Helen retired and the Silvermans purchased the business.

Wendy says one of the best parts of being in the business is the flexibility it affords. She explained, “It gives you a certain amount of freedom within certain boundaries. I can adjust my work schedule.” Adjusting a work schedule is very important to both Bob and Wendy because they like to spend as much time as possible with their twelve-year-old daughter Ellie. Wendy said the toughest part of being in business is not being able to take many family vacations. The Silverman’s only annual vacation usually takes place on Memorial Day weekend. They’ve gone to places like Storytown, the Tunbridge Fair in Vermont and Toronto. Wendy said a trip to the Granby Zoo in the Eastern Townships of Quebec was their favorite vacation. She explained, “It was one of those weekends when everything fell into place absolutely perfectly. Ellie loved the zoo and the hotel had a wonderful restaurant and pool.”

Very few small businesses survive over five years. Peru Hardware has been serving the people of Peru for sixty-two years. The store’s diverse product line combined with its personal service has been a formula for success. Oh yes, let’s not forget the dedication and hard work that has made this store a vital part of our community’s everyday life for three generations.