Finkles in Lambertville, also known among the locals as “the world’s most unusual supply house,” closed its doors for good on January 4 after 107 years in business, writes Jeff Werner for the Patch.
“It’s very sad to me that this beautiful, special, incredible place that’s so unique and so valuable is coming to an end,” said Rachel Finkle, a third-generation owner who has operated the store for the last 34 years. “The whole community will miss it, myself included.”
Finkles started as a scrap yard that morphed into a supply house before eventually becoming a community hardware store where customers could buy everything from paint to power tools, without having to visit one of the big box stores outside of town.
The business was founded by Finkle’s grandfather, Joseph, who immigrated from Ukraine in the late 1890s. His son, Abe, later took over and expanded the business, and his daughter joined the store in 1990.
For her, the closure of the local institution was bittersweet.
“I’m happy that I’m not going bankrupt and it wasn’t forced upon me,” said Finkle. “People came to me out of the blue interested in buying the property.”
Read more about Finkles and its 107-year-old story in the Patch.
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