Beacon Paint & Hardware at 371 Amsterdam Avenue (between 77th and 78th street) is holding its customer appreciation day on Wednesday, giving out bagels, donuts and coffee. Beacon has been on the Upper West Side for more than 100 years, and at its current location since 1940. They donate generously to local schools and charities.
Just a reminder to support local businesses if you don’t want them to disappear!
Photo by Stephen Weiss.
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Very cool! Love to see long-term local businesses survive in this expensive neighborhood!
These are great folks. Whenever I need that unfindable widget, they always seem to have it. (And I love the pup!)
A great store for paints and all other hardware items with very helpful staff and a dog to pet.
Yes, shop local they are what makes the westside wonderful and they are the very store that gives to schools and religious organizations when they come to solicit for journals etc.
How do you define “shop local”?
It’s hard to come up with a definitive explanation of a local store. But in general it means a store that’s not part of a chain, where the owners tend to run the store or spend significant time there, where they tend to have some local ties or history in the neighborhood. WSR
I personally wouldn’t rule chain stores out as local businesses. I understand that this may not follow the actual definition, but I think some chain stores with an established presence and friendly, helpful service can be “honorary local businesses”. For example, Beacon Wine is not a chain but I find the Hispanic men who work as cashiers to be some of the rudest people in the neighborhood. So I don’t consider that store to be “local” in the spirit of the definition.
“I find the Hispanic men who work as cashiers to be some of the rudest people”
Are they even U.S. citizens? (Or even here legally?)
Tiny broke-ass store.
These are good people. Been coming to them for over 40 years, as they were and still are the most reliable hardware and paint store in the hood. They carry quality paint in Benjamin Moore. And when they don’t have what you need, they’ll order it.
ps: someone tell Bruce to stay from the dounts, he has a race to run!
No one is saying they’re not ‘good people’ but they’re operating a matchbox-sized store in an age of stores with much larger product selection and better customer service. Your reasons for liking them is not exactly a ringing endorsement considering there aren’t a lot of similar stores to compare them to. And Benjamin Moore paint can easily be obtained at Janovic Plaza on 72nd St which is a much nicer and display-oriented paint store.
From where do they order items that you need? Home Depot? Amazon? Lowes? I can do the same and get it much faster. Obviously joking but if it weren’t for Lowes coming to the neighborhood, they wouldn’t be running scared and doing this event.
LOL
Ever notice how your posts always sound critical and judgmental? Relax Woody , , , have a bagel and don’t let the Rag display your ignorance 🙂
Overly sensitive much to people pointing out differences of opinion? There’s nothing inaccurate about what I posted.
The essence of a free-spirited discussion is being able to offer critique and judgment.
Two thumbs up for Beacon! Been shopping there since when the two brother’s father used to hang out and give advice. (many decades)
Advice is good, customer service fine, selection well thought out, and priced to not take advantage of the customers.
Slight correction: while we ( Beacon Paint) have been in the same location,since 1940, we have been on the Upper West Side, since 1900. ( From 1900 -1940 we were on the west side of the street, where the bagel place is now).
Where our store is now, was an A&P, and they had a horse and buggy in the back used to make deliveries.
DRIVING ADVICE
I could use some advice from drivers who live on or regularly visit the UWS, particularly those who use the West Side Highway and exit at 95th/96th streets (okay…I know it’s really the Henry Hudson Parkway).
I send people who are planning to visit me from other points a map with driving directions. For a number of years now, this map was incorrect. This is due to the fact that it’s been a very long time since I drove myself home via the WSH or even took a cab that way.
I was instructing drivers to exit only at 95th, make a left on Riverside, go over the viaduct and bear right to go up the narrow service road to West 100th where I live.
Now I just discovered that when coming from the south, one can exit only at 96th, going under the viaduct onto West 96th. Drivers coming from the north are now limited to only 95th. (I don’t know when they made the change, but it’s probably much safer).
So what’s the big deal? All one has to do is go east on 96th to West End, make a left, go up one block to 97th, another left and back to the start of the RSD service road.
But it’s probably also just as easy for drivers coming from the south to drive a little past 96th, take the ramp on the right and circle under the WSH to head south and then immediately take the 95th exit, after looping under the highway again.
So I’m not sure which method to describe in my directions. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions from drivers. TIA.
Joe
Joe, I can comment on this part:
“So what’s the big deal? All one has to do is go east on 96th to West End, make a left, go up one block to 97th, another left and back to the start of the RSD service road.”
It HAS becone a big deal! No left turn allowed at 97.
Personally, I find that all these new signs designating new rules are confusing to me as I drive in that area.
Thanks dannyboy…
Yesterday, I saw the sign saying “no left” between 7 and 9 a.m., from 96th onto West End, and didn’t worry about it because no one comes by that early.
But it never occurred to me to walk up one block and check there. I confirmed that this evening.
At least left turns are not banned from WEA at 99th, so they could go that way, over to the service road and around the block.
I’m sure all these changes are due to one of Helen Rosenthal’s projects, as well as de Blasio and the traffic people in response to those recent accidents injuring and killing pedestrians.
It’s easy to see now that drivers are very inconvenienced, but at the same time, I don’t see much change in the dangerous driving (speeding, etc.) facing people on foot. But hey, that’s another thread (though it’s been discussed much here before).
Joe – How does your driving advice relate to supporting local business?
It doesn’t!
However, I’ve been under the impression for a long time that “open thread Wednesday” means anyone can raise any issue or ask any question.
If I’m wrong, maybe the moderator will correct me. Unless of course you’ve been appointed to police this blog?
And if so, then maybe you have a suggestion as to a better forum to ask for driving advice?
Yes, Open Thread Wednesday means write about anything neighborhood-related. We sometimes put up a picture, or a statement, as a conversation-starter. Avi
I’ll support local businesses but they should too and not buy Dunkin Donuts.