Renfrow Hardware in Matthews NC

Renfrow Hardware in Matthews NC

You can truly step back in time at Renfrow Hardware in Matthews NC. Inside Renfrow Hardware, you'll find well-worn wood floors and walls stocked floor to ceiling with an assortment of hardware items, seed and gardening products, and general merchandise that are not found in the typical big box store. If you are looking for canning supplies, cast iron cookware, bulk seed of all types, odd and hard-to-find keys, feed for wild birds, poultry and rabbits, and live bait, you'll find them at Renfrow.

In the winter, spend some time by the pot-bellied stove at Renfrow Hardware in Matthews NC and think about the many customers who have gathered there since the Renfrow Hardware and General Merchandise Store opened in 1900. Established by Thomas Jefferson Renfrow, the store has been in continuous operation at this location since then. In 1909, the store was expanded with three more sections making it the size it is today. At various times during its history, the building housed other businesses as well, including a post office, a furniture and casket business, a cannery and a Chevrolet dealer. In recent years, Renfrow Hardware acquired the adjoining small frame building known as Pop's Grill. Operated as a restaurant from the 1960s to the 1980s and then as an antique shop, this building is now the Renfrow Hardware Annex. Both buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Saturday mornings are the best time to enjoy the little piece of Matthews NC history that can be found at Renfrow Hardware. Stop by the Matthews Farmers Market, which is sponsored by Renfrow's and is located next to the hardware. Here you'll find locally grown produce, meats and cheeses, plants and flowers. Chefs give cooking demonstrations using that day's produce and local musicians provide entertainment. After you're finished shopping, take a stroll through Renfrow Hardware to see what unique items you can discover. I'll bet that it's the only place in Matthews or the surrounding area where you can buy lady bugs!

Copyright 2009. Carol Fox. Allen Tate Realtors. *Renfrow Hardware in Matthews NC*