Liquor, Hardware, and History

Gary Singh is at it again, strolling through Willow Glen finding the unusual and shedding light on the forgotten corners of the neighborhood. Via his “Silicon Alleys” column in the weekly Metro, Singh tells of long-closed hardware stores and equally historic (but still open) liquor shops:

Inspired by a reading of Touring Historic Willow Glen, Singh sets out on his own journey:

His journey through ignored Willow Glen began at 831 Malone Road, a hideous, rundown, boarded-up former hardware store and flooring company. The junkie looked through the windows and eyed the decades-old fixtures and rickety displays. You see, if one peeks at the original 1927 map of Willow Glen, Malone Road forms the southern border.

From that rapidly-evolving corner of WG, Singh’s “urban blight exploration junkie” visits the oddly-placed liquor store at Lincoln and Malone (mentioning some of its questionable wares, but omitting its lucky history), and several venues further nortyh on Lincoln Avenue.

It’s not Singh’s first visit to the Glen — He’s sung the praises of Hamilton & Meridian, regaled us with stories from the Elks Club, recalled WG’s role in the tale of Cowby Poetry, and most recently highlighted the historic theaters of WG and beyond … and WGx hopes this visit isn’t his last!