Talcott Hardware ( Remembering The Last Great Hardware Store)

Talcott Hardware ( Remembering The Last Great Hardware Store) Talcott Hardware is no longer in business but this is a page to share your stories and memories of the greatest hardware store in Chicago

It’s been awhile since our last post, but a piece of Talcott Hardware advertising has been found. Is there more items wa...
01/29/2024

It’s been awhile since our last post, but a piece of Talcott Hardware advertising has been found.

Is there more items waiting to resurface?

Please share with the group if you have an item.

Thank you to Tom P. For sharing!!

It has been a while since my last post to this page. But two pieces of Talcott Hardware history have resurfaced that I m...
05/10/2023

It has been a while since my last post to this page. But two pieces of Talcott Hardware history have resurfaced that I must share.

Talcott Hardware had the same hours of operation for many years.

Sunday 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Saturdays were always the busiest day to work at Talcott Hardware, especially in the spring, when the neighborhood would start awakening from the winter months. Bud knew this and would schedule a full crew to staff the hardware store to assist the customers.

After a busy Saturday and after the store closed at 5 PM, it was suggested that we should have a beer to relax after a busy day.

It didn’t take long for it to become a tradition to enjoy a beer (or maybe a few more) after work on Saturdays. When the store closed at 5:00 PM, we would have a teeth cracking cold beer opened by 5:01. Even Bud would occasionally stay and enjoy a cold beer before heading home after his long day.

And this is how the Talcott Hardware “5:01 Club” was born.

The popularity and legend of the 5:01 Club grew, and soon customers and friends of Talcott Hardware would show up to have a beer. Those were some memorable times.

A big THANK YOU to Jim Graser for being the caretaker of the original 5:01 Club Sign for the past 20 years.

The other item is the actual tape measure clock that was always on the shelf behind the Talcott Hardware counter.
Bud used to joke that this clock will never be stolen, because someone was always watching it.

In memory of Talcott Hardware, The Maday Family, and the members of the 5:01 Club. This clocks time will forever be set to 5:01.

It always amazes me at how the memory of Talcott Hardware and the impact it made on so many people continues. Most are m...
08/28/2020

It always amazes me at how the memory of Talcott Hardware and the impact it made on so many people continues. Most are memories of Bud Maday and the once legendary Talcott Hardware.

Today a piece of Talcott Hardware has resurfaced!!
The Panasonic PLL 8 Track Stereo. (This is the actual stereo that was played at Talcott Hardware).

If you ever came into the hardware store you would hear this stereo playing in the background. From the time the store opened until closing time, this stereo played back ground music. And Yes, the 8 track player worked, although we had a very limited number of tapes. (Andy Williams Greatest Christmas Song, and Foreigner 4)

As a former employee, I have many memories of how this simple stereo caused many laughs and arguments over the type of music that was playing. Bud liked the slower more elevator type music and the rest of the employees liked the more mainstream classic rock of WLUP 97.9. Needless to say, the tuning dial was always changing whenever Bud left the counter.

A big thank you to Bob Schultz for preserving and protecting this piece of Talcott Hardware history.

Today is a good day to chop ice. If you look close, you can still see the familiar Talcott Hardware orange price tag.
02/02/2019

Today is a good day to chop ice.
If you look close, you can still see the familiar Talcott Hardware orange price tag.

12/24/2018

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

During this Christmas season please take the time to slow down and enjoy the simple things that life has to offer. I hope you all can spend time with family and friends during the upcoming holiday season.

May this wonderful time of the year touch your heart in a special way. Wishing you and your families much joy and happiness not just today, but throughout the New Year

It would be impossible to count how many times that Talcott Hardware Store employees placed orange price stickers on mer...
04/09/2018

It would be impossible to count how many times that Talcott Hardware Store employees placed orange price stickers on merchandise over the the years, but it is always a pleasant surprise when we still see them.

Who remembers the orange Talcott Hardware price tags??? I found a few in my tool room this weekend. I wonder how many mo...
01/29/2018

Who remembers the orange Talcott Hardware price tags???
I found a few in my tool room this weekend. I wonder how many more are still out there.
If you have an item with the orange tag still on it, please post it.

The Halloween season was always fun at Bud's Talcott Hardware.There was always a steady flow of people coming in to the ...
10/31/2017

The Halloween season was always fun at Bud's Talcott Hardware.There was always a steady flow of people coming in to the store looking for creative ideas for their Halloween costumes. The possibilities were endless.

Even Bud dressed up for Halloween. All hail King Bud!

(Photo from the Talcott Hardware Archives)

Do you remember how much Bud's Talcott Hardware utilized the aisle space to display as much product as possible?Here are...
10/25/2017

Do you remember how much Bud's Talcott Hardware utilized the aisle space to display as much product as possible?

Here are some great photos of the aisles of Talcott Hardware. Look at how many items are displayed!!

Talcott Hardware also had a basement that was just as big as the store. It was also completely full of product.

(Photos from the Talcott Hardware Archives)

This page would not be complete without a picture of Bud as we all remember him. Standing by the counter, telling us how...
10/18/2017

This page would not be complete without a picture of Bud as we all remember him. Standing by the counter, telling us how to fix something or where to find what we were looking for.

(Photo courtesy of the Talcott Hardware Archives)

Address

7781 W Talcott Avenue
Chicago, IL
60631

Telephone

+17736315565

Website

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