San Francisco’s Papenhausen Hardware to close after 88 years [Video]

A legacy business in San Francisco that has been around since 1936 is going out of business.

Papenhausen Hardware, a fixture in West Portal for 88 years, will close its doors on Dec. 31, or sooner if inventory runs out.

On Monday, customers flowed in and out of the store, many learning that the days of visiting the shop and benefiting from the staff’s expertise are limited.

“Without this place, where can you go?” asked customer Frank Ruiz.

Karl Aguilar, who joined the staff in 1988 and eventually became a manager and partner, said the business survived two fires, the latest in 2018. However, it could not withstand rising rent and changing social patterns following the pandemic.

As a neighborhood business without a parking lot but situated close to the West Portal, it relied on a steady stream of commuters to stop in. The post-pandemic era, with remote work and …