Hammer falls on hot spot for hardware

The screws, hinges and other surplus from Rainier Hardware now sit in Tay Ha's garage in Everett.

After nearly 20 years of running the store in Seattle's Pike Place Market, Ha closed his doors on Sept. 30 — the deadline to move out set by the Preservation and Development Authority, which manages the Market's leases. His was the last hardware store downtown.

"It's sad," Ha said. "There's nothing I can do."

For months the 76-year-old businessman, supported by his family and other merchants, tried to negotiate an extension on his lease. The authority says it offered him space elsewhere, but Ha refused to move.

Since the early 1970s, a hardware store had operated under various owners at the Market's Stewart House, enjoying street frontage near the original Starbucks.

Market Optical, just around the corner from the hardware store, coveted that spot. The optical, which also has stores in Bellevue and University Village, has received approval to expand into Ha's former space.

Sanjay Bhatt: 206-464-3103 or sbhatt@seattletimes.com