The closing of Dressel’s Hardware at 1137 Chicago Ave. marks the end of another treasured neighborhood institution. In the more than 50 years I’ve lived in Oak Park, I’ve been able to find virtually anything I wanted from a hardware store at Dressel’s, and much that I might have wanted from an old-fashioned general store.
From its array of housewares up front; to the back with its innumerable drawers and cubbies full of nuts & bolts, fasteners, and that one missing part nowhere else to be found; to their basement workshops where any window could be reglazed or any screen remounted; the dog-friendly Dressel’s was a store like no other, with a cluttered charm and narrow aisles that forced you to become close neighbors with other customers, whether you wanted to or not.
What made Dressel’s great was not just the store or its inventory, but the guys who managed it — real hardware guys who knew everything about everything in the store, and who could find anything you needed, even if you had no idea what that was when you walked in.
They also knew the value of a steady, friendly cashier who could anchor the front of the store as well as the whole crew could anchor the rear. I’m glad we will still have a hardware store to replace it, but we’ll never have another Dressel’s.
Dick McKinlay
Oak Park