When a business has had its doors open in the same town since 1905, it is not surprising that it embraces old world values such as always putting the customers’ needs first and a strong sense of community loyalty.
Hadeler Hardware in Pearl River has been family owned since the business was founded as a general store in what was then a sleepy Rockland County hamlet early in the 20th Century.
The present owner, Paul Hadeler, still holds in high regard the advice given to him by his father and grandfather.
“You have to give back to the community what you take,” Hadeler said.
That belief, along with strong customer service and product knowledge, has made this store a fixture in Pearl River from the days of the Model T to the high speed Internet. Hadeler also points with pride to the facts that his customers, unlike at some of the big box stores, can get in and out of his establishment quickly and can expect to find the doors open at 6:30 a.m. every day except Sunday.
Before Hadeler’s grandfather set up shop in Rockland County, he owned a store in Rockaway, Queens. When that area became too crowded for his tastes, he looked for a spot where his business could thrive and family would grow. He chose the then German-speaking town of Pearl River and opened a general store that sold primarily groceries. Hadeler’s didn’t become a hardware store until the end of World War II. But with that change, the business really flourished. The period of the post war years well into the 1990’s saw it become a fixture on the Pearl River scene.
Mr. Hadeler is firmly convinced that a local business doesn’t endure for so many years without being a strong community supporter and contributor.
“If a community wants to survive, everyone must do their part," Hadeler said. "We have to nurture the seed to make this area grow. It is an old world idea, but I have always felt that way and run my business that way, no matter how society may change.”
Towards those goals, grandfather, father and son have been active in organizations including the local chapter of Rotary and the Boy Scouts. For many years, Paul Hadeler was an Explorer leader. He has been a member of the Pearl River Ambulance Corps for 42 years and now serves as president of the governing board of this group.
But Hadeler's hasn’t been untouched by the poor economy. Over the past several years it has endured significant belt tightening to stay competitive in an extremely challenging marketplace. This, of course, is a problem faced by many other businesses. But as Mr. Hadeler would be quick to note, when a company has been around over 100 years, it is necessary to learn how to cope with good times and bad. He believes that Hadeler Hardware will be a constant on the Pearl River scene for many years to come.
Hadeler Hardware is located at 3 North Main Street in Pearl River. It is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Saturday 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM and is closed on Sunday.
