AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi
and Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services
Park Hardware’s Grand Reopening celebration last Friday evening was as happy a gathering of friends, business associates and customers as we’ve seen in quite a while. Now a part of the Zeskind’s family – a 4th Generation family-owned business that specializes in hardware and millwork products, Park Hardware underwent an extensive remodeling and was off to a fine start.
The atmosphere was very festive as the event kicked off with the aroma of grilling meat drifting on the breeze as the sun began to set on a row of colorful tents, tables and a sizeable food truck. There was lots to check out at the tents where attendees learned all about products carried inside the store. People were naturally curious and gravitated to them immediately.
We caught up with Macaroni KID publisher Laura McElwain Colquhoun in front of The Big Green Egg tent. As the Macaroni Kid website carries calendar listings, schedules and commentary on family friendly events in Severna Park, Pasadena and Glen Burnie, Colquhoun attends as many as she can. She’d already taken a peek inside the store where she was given free food vouchers for Truck of Deliciousness Food Truck & Catering’s meal items. She’d also visited the Todd’s DIRT Seasonings table. Todd Courtney, famously known as the DIRT MAN, was handing out samples of grilled meats seasoned with the popular product he invented in 1993 for friends, perfected in 2003 and began bottling and selling in 2007.
Not surprisingly, the Truck of Deliciousness food truck was a sensation with long lines of guests forming with food vouchers in hand.
Many people attending the grand reopening celebration knew each other so it was only natural that groups of friends would gather to socialize prior to the main event – a grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting. Everyone was delighted to see the hardware store’s former proprietor Gordon Clement in the crowd. Clement, a third-generation family hardware store owner/manager came to give his blessing to new owner Rick Miller, the fourth-generation family hardware store owner (and current president of Zeskind’s) to whom he’d chosen to sell Clement Hardware.
Expectations were building as time for the ribbon cutting approached, but there was still time for contractor Hunter Reid to visit the table of Severna Park native Sean Thomas. owner of Eastern Shore Woodworks.
Reid said his company Hunter A. Reid & Sons, a 4th generation family business, had been a customer of Clement Hardware for years and was continuing its association with Park Hardware. Thomas, now a Park Hardware vendor, had set up an impressive display of his company’s cutting boards, wooden crab mallets and Board Butter with help from daughter Aria.
Park Hardware’s new owner Rick Miller soon arrived at the store entrance with his family and a large number of employees.
Microphone in hand, Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber CEO Liz League approached them and kicked the Grand ReOpening Ceremony off by introducing Miller.
“Everybody move in closer,” she said. ” Thank you all for coming. This is such an exciting time as we’re ushering in a new chapter for one of our community’s oldest businesses.”
Handing the microphone to Miller, she encouraged him to tell his audience something about himself and how he came to acquire the former Clement’s Hardware.
Before starting, he thanked the large group of people in front of him, all of whom were listening intently, for braving the traffic to join the celebration.
“I grew up here in Severna Park in Chartwell and our family lived here all our lives so we always came to Clement Hardware. Over the years, I’d stayed in touch with Gordon Clement, who I see out there in the crowd now. When we opened our Zeskind’s showroom down the road in Arnold, he reached out and was very supportive over those four years. When Gordon made the decision to sell the family business (opened by his father David Clement in 1959), he called me and we had some talks about it. This was a great location for our Arnold showroom to move to and the idea of keeping the hardware store going was something I was extremely interested in doing because of my ties to the community.”
Asked by League what Park Hardware might be doing a bit differently, Miller explained that he hoped to keep his commitment to the community by maintaining the same level of service customers were used to. In addition to keeping every one of the Clement Hardware employees on the payroll, he said they’d be keeping the same products, adding new products and adding additional services – things like small engine repair and boosting their key-making abilities for any kind of vehicle and any kind of key fob. They’d be increasing the amount of drywall and lumber supplies carried in the yard as a local builder’s resource.
Most importantly, Miller noted that the store was remodeled to include a showroom for Zeskind’s windows, doors and hardware. He also mentioned that he couldn’t have done it without the help of his family and then introduced his wife Joannie, his daughter Chloe, his son Jax, his father, Rick Miller, Sr., and his mother Debbie.
To emphasize the official “passing of the torch” from former to current ownership, League invited Clement to the microphone for some complimentary comments and a congratulatory handshake.
A presentation of official citations followed from Larry Sells representing the County Executive’s Office, from County Councilmember Amanda Fiedler from District 4, from Maryland State Senator Dawn Gile, and from Maryland House of Delegates members Brian Chisholm and Rachel Munoz from District 31 among others. Each of the presenters had a personal connection to Clement, and now Park Hardware, as long-time customers.
The all-important ribbon was then unfurled by Liz League and the ribbon-cutting proceeded after which everyone was invited into the store…or to stay outdoors and enjoy the food and music.
Invited to tour the store with media representative Christine Hickey, we were first welcomed by employee Owen Snyder who assured us that, though the aisles were a bit shorter to make room for the new showroom in the back, all the merchandise was the same including customers’ favorite Benjamin Moore paints carried in a section of the store to his left.
Hickey was eager for us to see the newly installed Zeskind’s Hardware and Millwork Showroom and shepherded us toward the back of the store.
“This is a real showcase that was built for the purpose from an area that was all shelfspace,” she said. “Now it’s a very pretty showroom with all the high-end doors and windows and hardware.”
Stepping through the door toward a design center counter, Hickey introduced us to retail hardware manager Mike Page who took time from the transaction he was completing to say he liked the way the newest showroom items were integrated with already existing ones.
Visitors were already drifting into the showroom where, immediately to their right, they found rows of high-end doors. Turning a corner, they found themselves in an exceedingly long row of windows on one side with a vast collection of hardware on the opposite side.
Rounding another corner, we stumbled on a charming replica of an exterior door from BWI Distributors through which Mike Mackrell popped while demonstrating the product to Les Musskiene from Zeskind’s.
A bit futher on, we ran into showroom sales representative John DeMar chatting with local resident Larry Bloom and Pete Leisenring a JeldWen representative. DeMar said much of the merchandise the two guests were seeing was transported from the former Arnold showroom, however, some of it was new. Bloom commented that Park Hardware somehow managed “to squeek out more footage” putting a lot of product in a narrow space.
“It was actually Rick Miller who designed this space,” DeMar said.
The rows of window, door, cabinet, and plumbing hardware were endless and fascinating to see. We explored several more aisles before exiting through the store where we once more ran into Gordon Clement. We asked if he was thriving after no longer running the store.
He said he is indeed. He’s working a few less hours but is still involved with real estate sales and has a mobile home business that is doing very well.
We eventually drifted back outdoors where attendees were enjoying food and each other’s company while a band overlooked the tables while playing classic rock. We decided we couldn’t leave the event without satisfying our curiosity about two more vendors. We stopped by the Diablo Tools tent where district sales manager Joe Gibbons showed off any array of power tool accessories.
“We make high quality saw blades, drill bits and cutting instruments for power equipment,” Gibbons said. “We’re a prime manufacturer and everything you see here is made from the raw materials.”
Lastly, we followed our nose to the amazing aromas of grilling steak were emanating from The Big Green Egg tent. Josh Thorp, who was cooking those steaks, invited us to step inside and have a bite and we couldn’t resist. Thorp had coated the steaks with some of the Todd’s DIRT seasonings neighboring vendor Todd Courtney gave him. They were truly delish.
Steaks hot off the grill and two that were waiting for their turn on the Big Green Egg grill. 
Grill master Josh Thorp turning steaks cooked to perfection on the Big Green Egg grill.
Though we left around 7, we understand that the band played on and the celebration lasted until 11 pm. Park Hardware seems to be off to a good start and Severna Park residents who once counted on Clement’s Hardware can look forward to the new business expanding on its legacy.
Langton Green Community Farm’s weekend produce sales continue
We understand from Langton Green Community Farm manager Elizabeth Snyder that onsite sales of produce from the fields and greenhouses will continue to be held each Saturday through Thanksgiving from 10 am till 2 pm. From tomatoes and peppers to eggplants, squash and melons are still available as are eggs from the farm hens and flowers. For information on the harvest and other news follow the Langton Green Community Farm at Facebook.
A Blessing of the Animals to be held at Woods Church October 1st
The Noah’s Ark Ministry at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church Invites members of the community to bring their pets to be blessed on Sunday, October 1st at 1:00pm. Church pastors will personally visit each pet and bless them. Participants will receive a certificate of blessing and a treat bag for their pet! All pets are welcome. We can vouch for the fact that this is a fun service to attend – one that the animals seem to enjoy too. For more information about the Blessing of the Animals and other church events, visit Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church (woodschurch.org).
The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is now offering a homeschool Kung Fu class and is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center.)
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.
