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Mount Greenwood Hardware Remains Closed With Owner Trapped By Debt

By Howard Ludwig | January 19, 2015 5:26am
 Mount Greenwood Hardware has been a staple on the far Southwest Side since 1929. The business at 3124 W. 111th St. was shut down on Dec. 15. Owner Barry Zimmerman said his business license was revoked because of unpaid sales taxes owed to the State of Illinois.
Mount Greenwood Hardware
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MOUNT GREENWOOD — Barry Zimmerman would like nothing more than to remove the giant, orange sticker on the front door of his family's decades-old business.

The third-generation owner of Mount Greenwood Hardware has been shut out of his store at 3124 W. 111th St. since Dec. 15. That's when city officials pulled his business license and slapped the bright sticker on the front door.

Zimmerman said his license was revoked because of delinquent sales taxes owed to the state of Illinois. State officials notified local regulators who in turn suspended his license.

"If I had the funds, I'd have paid it off yesterday... even part of the funds," Zimmerman said on Thursday while attending a meeting for business owners throughout the 19th Ward.

Zimmerman tells Howard Ludwig he'll need to reopen to raise the tax money:

Zimmerman said he opted to pay his employees rather than his sales taxes as business declined during the latest recession. He was hoping to make-up for the lapse when sales improved, but he never got the chance.

"I feel like my employees are family, so I tried to pay them first," Zimmerman said. "Maybe it was the wrong idea."

Zimmerman said he's working with city and state officials to develop a plan to tackle the debt and reopen the hardware store that's been a staple on the far Southwest Side since 1929.

"We are on the right track. Whether it will continue or we get sidetracked, I don't know," he said.

Zimmerman said if he were able to pay even a portion of the undisclosed sum, city officials would likely allow him to reopen the business founded by his grandfather, Sam Zimmerman.

Mount Greenwood Hardware was handed down to Barry's father and uncle. Barry's father, Phil Zimmerman, died on July 15.

Besides the overall economic downturn, Zimmerman said his independent hardware store suffered from competition with big box stores such as Home Depot and Menards. Indeed, Menards opened a store 3½ miles away at 9100 S. Western Ave. in neighboring Evergreen Park last April.

Mount Greenwood Hardware often served as a fall-back for such customers, as the big boxes would send desperate shoppers with special requests or unusual problems to Zimmerman's tiny shop in Mount Greenwood.

More often than not, the staff at Mount Greenwood Hardware could help or offer an alternative solution. Knowledgeable staffers would also walk do-it-yourselfers through the process.

Mount Greenwood Hardware had become adept at this style of sales and service over the years. The hands-on approach might have stemmed from the addition of Chicago True Value, which opened directly across the street at 3111 W. 111th St. in the 1960s.

Zimmerman said the neighborhood competitors eventually slid into complementary roles.

True Value focused on homeowner products and outdoor supplies, such as barbecue grills, fertilizer, light bulbs and paint. Meanwhile, Mount Greenwood Hardware relied on more commercial and industrial users by offering specialty electrical and plumbing supplies paired with exceptional know-how, Zimmerman said.

"It's been friendly competition" with True Value, he said.

Meanwhile, customers are worried about the fate of the business that's been closed for more than a month. Many have turned to neighborhood Facebook groups seeking information.

Mary Gill, executive director of the Mount Greenwood Community and Business Association, said the outpouring of support speaks to the strong ties the tiny shop has within the neighborhood.

"We hope that Mount Greenwood Hardware will be able to reopen as they are an important part of our community," Gill said.

Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) said it's hard to find a homeowner within his ward who hasn't been helped by the employees of the mom-and-pop store on 111th Street.

"I hope that Mr. Zimmerman can find a way to develop a new business plan so that Mount Greenwood Hardware can continue to serve our community," O'Shea said.

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