Paints – Window Glass – Varnishes – Wholesale © Frank H. Jump
Sporting Goods – Retail © Frank H. Jump
© Frank H. Jump
Steve Marx, along with his brother Andy, runs Marx Hardware & Paint Co. in the Old North neighborhood.
CREDIT MARIA ALTMAN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
Established: 1875 by Frederick Marx
Location: 2501 N. 14th St., Old North neighborhood
Current owners: Brothers Steve and Andy Marx, great-great-grandsons of founder
Clientele: Mostly residential customers
There’s no arguing this hardware store is the oldest in the city.“I would say probably the oldest family-operated retail business in the city of St. Louis,” said Steve Marx.
Walking into Marx Hardware & Paint Co. feels a bit like taking a trip into the past with its hardwood floors, hand-painted signs and a wood-burning stove that keeps the place warm. The brothers have kept a lot of things from bygone days, including an old plaque for the St. Louis Hardware Retailers Association, a group that no longer exists.
“Hardware stores were like bakeries, barbershops — every few blocks there was one and a tavern in every corner and everybody made a living in this town,” Marx said. “It’s so difficult to see the change.” – St. Louis Public Radio
