Frager's celebrates a centennial
- Take a walk through a cool D.C. store, and a walk through history.
Presidents have shopped here. Tragedies have been overcome here. And all during the month of September, a centennial will be celebrated here.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Frager’s Hardware, the longest continuously operating hardware store in the nation’s capital.
Located on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., Frager’s counts the occasional president among its customer base. George W. Bush, for instance, bought dog treats here in 2006. The store is within eye-shot of the Capitol building. It has served its Capitol Hill neighborhood in a variety of locations – including a temporary store in a tent in the famous Eastern Market after a devastating fire in 2013.
A recent major milestone for the 100-year old company was the 2017 acquisition by A Few Cool Hardware Stores, a family of 13 Ace hardware stores in and around Washington, D.C.
Since then, the store has sold 4,338 World's Finest chocolate bars in support of local nonprofits (100% of profits donated). It exchanged 10,358 Sodastream CO2 canisters -- the equivalent of 1,836,563 12-ounce seltzer water cans.
And in 2020 alone through Sept. 10, the store has handled 412,888 transactions – a healthy amount for an 11,500 sq. ft. store.
The centennial is worthy of a month long celebration, says Courtney Belew, senior manager of marketing and community engagement for A Few Cool Hardware stores. Activities, she said, include “giveaways, custom made products for our staff and customers, daily shout-outs on social media to showcase neighboring small businesses who have contributed so much to the vibrancy of our Capitol Hill neighborhood, and fundraisers for local nonprofits that have improved the quality of life for our neighbors in need.”
