image description
Aubuchon Hardware has been on Union Street since 1987.

North Adams Aubuchon Closing Doors After 36 Years

Staff ReportsPrint Story | Email Story

The store's cats Abbey and Shawna will be transferred to the Williamstown store. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Aubuchon Hardware on Union Street will be closing this fall after 36 years. 
 
The interim store manager Scott Wascher made the announcement on his Facebook page Tuesday. He was not immediatley available to speak to iBerkshires yesterday. 
 
The closing is due to "falling sales and location," Wascher posted. 
 
The store opened at 41 Union, in what had been a Carr's Hardware, in September 1987. The company's then owner, William Aubuchon, had attended the opening. 
 
The family-owned chain has more than 100 stores in Northeast and dates to 1908. Last month, Aubuchon Company acquired J.B. Hostetter & Sons in Mount Joy, Pa. 
 
Residents won't be without a hardware store, though they may have to travel a little farther to the Williamstown location. Also, Carr Hardware opened a 10,000-square-foot store on State Road in 2012 and a new hardware and lumberyard, Duke's, is opening on Saturday on Curran Highway.
 
The store will hold a clearance sale beginning Oct. 14 and its hours, starting Tuesday, are 8 to 5 on weekdays; it will be closed on weekends. It's not clear how many employees will be affected by the closure and those at the store expressed disappointment at the news. 
 
Abbey and Shawna, the store's cats, are expected to move to the Williamstown store to work with Matt and Annette Moullan. Employees also had said they could have a home with a former store manager. 
 
"The Williamstown store will take over serving our customers in the area," Wascher wrote. "We would like to thank our customers for the continued support throughout the years."

Tags: business closing,   hardware,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Big Y Investigates Conn. Skimmer Incident

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Big Y supermarket discovered skimmers in two of its Connecticut stores last month. 
 
In a press release on Monday, the grocery chain said an unknown individual attached a skimming device to one single terminal in each of its Naugatuck and Plainville locations. The skimmers were found on June 29.
 
Skimmers are devices that are illegally installed over or inside card readers at places like convenience stores, fuel pumps and ATMs to steal information off the cards. The FBI estimates that skimming costs consumers and financial institutions more than $1 billion a year. 
 
"We are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident, and we notified and are working with law enforcement. We have inspected all of our terminals, and continue to do so. If we learn that any particular customer's information was compromised, we will promptly notify them and provide them with additional information so that they can take steps to protect themselves," according to Jade Rivera- McFarlin, Big Y's manager of communications.
 
"As a best practice, customers should always review their bank and credit card statements for any signs of fraudulent activity and, if they have any questions or concerns, contact their bank or credit card company directly."
 
The FBI has some tips for keeping your card data safe here
 
If any Big Y customers have questions or concerns about this matter, they can call 1-800-828-2688 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
View Full Story

More North Adams Stories