Fairground Hardware will close after 75 years in Des Moines

Patt Johnson
The Des Moines Register

Mike Robinson said he saw the handwriting on the wall several years ago when sales at his Fairground Hardware store began to decline.

His customers, especially his commercial accounts, were turning to the internet to buy their hardware supplies. They also were demanding greater selection, which he couldn’t accommodate in his compact shop across the street from the Iowa State Fairgrounds. 

“As much as it saddens me, I have decided to close,” he said. “I probably stayed here four years longer than I should have.”

Earlier days of Fairground Hardware. The building served as a grocery store and a general store known as Corning's.

Fairground Hardware, 2951 E. Walnut St., has been a fixture on Des Moines’ east side for 75 years. 

The upstairs was once an Odd Fellows meeting hall. The fraternal organization owned the building and leased retail space on the main floor. 

Corning's grocery and general merchandise store filled the first floor in the early years. A hardware store replaced it in the 1940s. 

Fairground Hardware on East Walnut Street will close in January.

The business had several owners through the years. Robinson and his wife Deb purchased it in 1995. They bought the building from the Odd Fellows a couple of years later.

Hardware and home improvement is a $24 billion industry, according to IBISWorld. It has been dominated by large companies and big box stores, but a 2017 Retail Volatility Report from Deloitte showed smaller retailers are making inroads. 

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“Smaller players have increased market share at the expense of larger, traditional retailers,” according to the report.

But Robinson, 61, said he wasn’t able to compete with online sellers who offer better selection and pricing. He maintains a limited inventory of general hardware goods and offers services like window and screen repair and cutting threaded pipe.

Fairground Hardware in Des Moines will close in part because of increased competition from online sales.

His business flourishes during the Iowa State Fair and when there were events at the fairgrounds. But day-to-day sales are slow, he said.

The number of independent hardware stores is dwindling in the Des Moines metro. Sellers Trustworthy Hardware on Southwest Ninth closed last year. Hiland Park Hardware and Miller's Hardware are two of the few remaining independents.

Robinson sold the building for $265,000 in May to an investment group, which hasn’t said what it plans to do with the 122-year-old structure.

He is selling off all his inventory and fixtures. Goods are discounted 25 percent this month. He will increase the discount to 50 percent in December.