Newhall Hardware's 50th Anniversary Celebration, 8-16-1997.

Tom Lee, chairman and CEO of The Newhall Land and Farming Co. (left) with Newhall Hardware founder and owner Don Guglielmino.

From its humble beginnings in 1876, the town of Newhall always had a General Store to serve its growing population. All the basic necessities, from groceries to farm implements, could be found in stores whose wooden frontages bore the names of men like George Campton, Emil Chaix, James Gulley and Albert Swall.

It is a tradition that continued into the latter half of the 20th Century when Don Guglielmino opened Newhall Hardware at 24322 San Fernando Road in downtown Newhall (then called Spruce Street; now called Main Street). Construction began in mid-April, 1947, and four months later — on Saturday, August 16, 1947 — the venerable establishment opened its doors for the first time.

In those days, a 50' x 135' lot on nearby Newhall Avenue could be purchased for $950. Safeway (then next door to Newhall Hardware) offered ground beef for 29 cents per pound, coffee for 40 cents per pound, onions for 5 cents per pound and Kool cigarettes for 15 cents per pack. Playing down the street at the American Theater was Gene Autry in "Sioux City Sue." General admission was 50 cents, and playing times were available by phoning Newhall 140. Hogan and Hadley's Firestone offered tune-ups for $2.50 and brake jobs for one dollar. Acme Beer introduced a brand-new concept to the west coast: the no deposit-no return beer bottle.

Newhall Hardware quickly developed a reputation as a place where any imaginable tool or house and garden supply could be found. In 1998, rather than close the store upon his retirement, Guglielmino sold the venerable establishment to his longtime manager, Victor Feany, who kept the tradition alive.

Known as "The only real hardware store in the Santa Clarita Valley," they mean it when they say, "If we don't have it, you don't need it."

Update: After serving the Santa Clarita Valley for more than 60 years, Newhall Hardware closed March 16, 2008.

Further reading: "Don G., Aggie, and Newhall Hardware" by Dan Hon.