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Thank you Bangor Daily News for that marvelous story about the former Bangor hardware store. Sadly, it may be the end of the individually owned hardware stores.
Paul Cook a longtime friend of Sheldon Hartstone said, “We think someone will eventually come along that’ll just love it.” Yes, I think so too.
It is a building in very good condition. But Fairmount Hardware was much more than a building. Toward the end it did not contain much hardware but people all over Bangor came anyway to talk with owner Sheldon Hartstone. He loved anything about Bangor and told you so. He was one of the biggest supporters of Bangor High School sports especially basketball and talked with everyone about it.
I came to know him much better when both my late mother and his beloved late wife were in the nursing home. Sheldon was a compassionate delightful man who had a wonderful family including his daughter Heather who I have the privilege of knowing.
I hope that serious consideration will be given to the possibility of remodeling the first floor for low-income housing to help meet Bangor’s housing crisis in honor of Sheldon Hartstone. I wonder if the city could explore the idea of federal or state funds with Mr. Cook and an interested business or service organization. Sheldon might have loved that idea especially if it contained all of his wonderfully Bangor basketball photos!
Joe Pickering Jr.
Bangor
