See inside Becker Hardware's final days and what drove owner to close Colts Neck store

David P. Willis, Asbury Park Press
·3 min read

COLTS NECK - Art Becker, owner of Becker Hardware on Route 34, grew up working the business his grandfather started more than 120 years ago.

Now 77, he is getting ready to leave it behind and retire. Becker Hardware will close in April. A final sale begins March 17.

“There were times when I was putting in 70-, 80-hour weeks,” Becker told What’s Going There. ”You know what? It was not a problem because there was satisfaction helping customers. They were appreciative of what you did and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Over the years, Becker Hardware has become a landmark on Route 34. It always has been a family business.

Becker Hardware owner Art Becker, left, is shown with his sons Dan (center) and Jeff in the Colts Neck store Thursday, March 9, 2023. The fixture along Route 34 is closing its doors after 120 years in business, including more than 50 years at its current location.
Becker Hardware owner Art Becker, left, is shown with his sons Dan (center) and Jeff in the Colts Neck store Thursday, March 9, 2023. The fixture along Route 34 is closing its doors after 120 years in business, including more than 50 years at its current location.

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Morris Becker, Art Becker’s grandfather, opened his first hardware store in New York City in 1903, relocating in 1923 to a store on Shrewsbury Avenue in Red Bank.

His dad Joe took over management of the store in 1937. Business expanded over the next several decades and Art joined the business in 1969.

A couple of years later, they purchased land on Route 34 in Colts Neck in 1971 and built the current store.

'End of a long chapter'

Art’s sons Dan and Jeff started working at Becker’s Hardware in the 1990s.

“We celebrate our family’s success in guiding a retail business for four generations,” Dan Becker said.

“Closing the store represents the end of a long chapter in our family history,” Jeff Becker said.

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Exterior of Becker Hardware in Colts Neck Thursday, March 9, 2023. The fixture along Route 34 is closing its doors after 120 years in business, including more than 50 years at its current location.
Exterior of Becker Hardware in Colts Neck Thursday, March 9, 2023. The fixture along Route 34 is closing its doors after 120 years in business, including more than 50 years at its current location.

Why close now?

Art Becker said: ”The past three years have been extremely difficult. Retail is not easy from day one and I have been in retail my entire life.”

During the pandemic, the store was busy, but it was hit with a labor shortage.

“We were there doing a lot of business with no labor, with no help,” Becker said. ”It was trying, but we got through it.”

Other challenges have continued. "As the pandemic continued, the supply chain shortages got worse and worse and worse," he said.

His primary supplier couldn't fulfill orders. "Some would show up and some wouldn't," he said. For instance, a supplier may send only 10% to 15% of the items Becker ordered.

Power equipment, such as lawn mowers and tractors, are big business at Becker Hardware. But they were in very short supply and some suppliers stopped taking orders altogether.

”It got very, very frustrating," Becker said.

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'Not the Becker style'

Meanwhile, the pandemic accelerated consumers rush to the internet for purchases, which is the opposite of the personal touch customers receive when they go to Becker Hardware.

"The impersonal type of business relationship is not the Becker style," Becker said. "It is not and never will be."

So when he got a reasonable offer for the building, he discussed it with his sons and took it. He said he did not know the new owner's plans for the building.

Barrels filled with grass seed blends are shown at Becker Hardware in Colts Neck Thursday, March 9, 2023. The fixture along Route 34 is closing its doors after 120 years in business, including more than 50 years at its current location.
Barrels filled with grass seed blends are shown at Becker Hardware in Colts Neck Thursday, March 9, 2023. The fixture along Route 34 is closing its doors after 120 years in business, including more than 50 years at its current location.

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Becker Hardware was known for its lawn care advice, custom-blended grass seed mixtures specially formulated for central New Jersey, premium power equipment and other garden products.

"We leave the business with great warmth and appreciation for the many employees that we had over the years, as well as our suppliers, and everyone who has walked through our doors," Becker said.

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for more than 20 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Becker Hardware closing in Colts Neck, ends 120 years of business