Mendocino Hardware

Some Mendocino buildings make their point before you even step inside: dark wood, steep roofline, open doors, and a parking lot full of people who came for something practical.

Overview

Mendocino Hardware sits at 10510 Howard Street, tucked behind Harvest at Mendosa's and away from the more photographed storefronts along Main and Lansing Streets.

Today it is the village's locally operated hardware store, carrying the everyday supplies needed to keep houses, gardens and projects going. Harvest Market's official website continues to list Mendocino Hardware at this address and identifies hardware and propane exchange among its departments and services.

The store describes itself simply as a locally owned hardware store located behind Harvest at Mendosa's — a pretty accurate description of the role it fills in Mendocino.

Location

The building stands at 10510 Howard Street, directly behind the historic Mendosa's commercial property on Lansing Street.

That position puts it close to the heart of the village while giving it the practical space needed for a hardware business — parking, deliveries and easy access without trying to squeeze everything into a narrow historic storefront.

History

Hardware sales in this part of Mendocino go back much farther than the present Howard Street store.

Kelley House Museum research into the history of Mendosa's shows that the old Lansing Street business had already expanded beyond groceries by 1916. At that time the store carried general merchandise including hardware, enamelware, tinware and paint.

That does not necessarily mean the present Mendocino Hardware building was operating as the hardware department at that time. It does, however, show that selling hardware and household supplies has been part of the Mendosa's business tradition for more than a century.

The Mendosa store itself had begun with an 1897 saloon building. After alcohol sales were outlawed in Mendocino in 1909, the business was converted into a grocery store and expanded. By 1920 an even larger store building had been constructed on Lansing Street.

The Building Today

Today Harvest at Mendosa's occupies that historic Lansing Street location, while Mendocino Hardware operates immediately behind it on Howard Street. Both businesses are listed through Harvest Market, creating a modern connection between groceries in front and hardware in back.

Why It Matters

The hardware store has become one of those Mendocino businesses people tend to know because they need it rather than because it appears on postcards. A broken fitting, a handful of screws, paint supplies, garden hardware or another small repair can turn a trip to Howard Street into an important one very quickly.

Community Memories

The earlier history of the building at 10510 Howard Street remains an open part of the story. Old photographs, Sanborn maps, directories, property records and community memories may eventually establish when the present structure was built, what occupied it before Mendocino Hardware, and when the hardware operation moved into this location.

Timeline

1897 — The Mendosa business begins in a Lansing Street saloon building.

1909 — Alcohol sales are outlawed in Mendocino and the saloon is converted to a grocery store.

1916 — The store carries general merchandise including hardware, enamelware, tinware and paint.

1920 — A larger Mendosa store building is constructed on Lansing Street.

Today — Harvest at Mendosa's fronts Lansing Street while Mendocino Hardware operates behind it at 10510 Howard Street.

Sources & Original Research: Harvest Market official Mendocino Hardware listing, confirming Mendocino Hardware at 10510 Howard Street and its hardware and propane-exchange services; Mendocino Hardware business page, identifying it as a locally owned hardware store behind Harvest at Mendosa's; Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce business listing confirming the Howard Street location; Kelley House Museum research on William Zerbone and the Mendosa Store Building, documenting the Mendosa business beginning with the 1897 saloon, its conversion to a grocery after 1909, expansion into general merchandise including hardware, enamelware, tinware and paint by 1916, and construction of the larger Lansing Street store in 1920; original post text and photograph provided by Gee Bee.