190? A. F. EVERS DEALERS IN HARDWARE AND IMPLEMENTS, BILLHEAD DENTON TEXAS    EVERS WAS ONE OF THE LAST OF THE GREAT OLD HARWARE STORES IN TEXAS. 

  • ON THE TOWN SQUARE IN DENTON
  • 109 WEST HICKORY STREET
  • ESTABLISHED IN 1885, CLOSED IN 2000
  • " STOVES HARDWARE AND TINWARE"
  • JEWELL STOVES AND RANGES, WISS SHEARS DEALER
  • ORIGINALLY CALLED A. F. EVERS HARDWARE, LATER EVERS HARDWARE
  • IN THE 1920'S WAS A WINCHESTER STORE

SEE MY STORE: VINTAGE HARDWARE STORE COLLECTIBLES


ORIGINAL, LETTERHEAD, LETTERHEADS, BILLHEAD, BILLHEADS, HARDWARE.  NORMAL AGING FOR THIS PERIOD. 


Robert Henry Evers and his brother, Adolph Frederick Evers moved to Denton, Texas in early 1885 to purchase the existing Fritzlen Hardware store, located at 109 W Hickory Street on the south side of the Denton square. Robert Henry had heard about Fritzlen Hardware from a traveling salesman in Paris, Texas who suggested he buy the place. Robert Henry had fond memories of Denton from when he worked as a railroad surveyor several years before. He convinced Adolph to join him in this venture, and together they collected $2,000 and mortgaged land in Harrison County to cover the costs of the store?s inventory. The brothers renamed the store Evers Hardware and opened on December 14, 1885.

 In 1911, the Evers brothers moved the store a few blocks off the square, but the customers complained and so they moved back into the original location two years later. That same year, the Evers brothers reconstructed the front of the building, replacing the wood-frame with a two-story brick building. The updated interior of the building included a wood floor, shelving that extending the length of the building, and an old freight elevator at the rear. The store sold everything from stoves and barbed wire to buggies and tractors. In the early years, barbed wire was one of the most popular items sold in the store.

 Along with the hardware store, the Evers brothers formed the Denton Water, Light and Power Company in 1892 and purchased the first electric plant. This brought electricity to the square and some of the surrounding areas. Citizens would pay their utility bills at Evers Hardware and bills were sorted at a large wooden desk at the back of the store.

After several years, Adolph chose to leave the hardware business and devoted his time to farming. Robert continued to operate the store and became very prominent in the Denton community. In 1914, he served as one of Denton's five city commissioners. He was also a member of the volunteer fire department, and was responsible for maintaining the courthouse clock.

 Throughout the years, the merchandise in the store reflected the change in equipment and technology. In the 1920s, Evers Hardware was one of the first stores in Denton to sell radio supplies, instruction books, and sets. The workers placed a radio in the upstairs window and played music for the people window shopping on the street below. The people of Denton and the surrounding areas counted on Evers to stock the latest and best priced merchandise.

 After Robert Henry Evers passed away in 1936 and Adolph Frederick Evers passed away in 1939, the hardware store?s ownership passed to Robert?s children. Robert?s children worked in the store as they were growing up. The oldest son, William, worked in the store until he retired in the 1960s. Will also maintained a 450-acre pecan orchard outside of town and sold the pecans in the store, and he even planted the pecan trees on the courthouse lawn. He dabbled in the development of machines to harvest, weigh, size, and separate pecans. One year, they yielded 70,000 pounds of pecans! Will Evers is also credited for planting the pecan trees on the courthouse lawn.

 When Will retired, Dolph Jr., the youngest son of Robert Evers, took over the ownership of the store. When William Evers passed away in 1968, Evers Hardware was considered the oldest operating store in Denton. A few years later, when Dolph Jr. retired, his nephew Bob Tripp took over the management.

 Over the years, the family maintained the ?old fashioned? look of the store, keeping the original shelves and mobile ladders, and even the desk where the Evers brothers kept track of Denton?s utilities. Items stayed on the shelves until they sold. After a small fire in 1972, Bob Tripp rebuilt the damaged parts of the store to maintain the original look.

 The Evers Hardware Store was the longest continually operating business on the Denton square until it closed in 2001.

 The Evers Building


The Evers Building, 109 West Hickory Street , is most famous as the site of the Evers Hardware Store, which was owned and operated by members of the Evers family for 115 years. The current building was built in 1913, but the business operated in the same spot from 1885 until 2001. As big box hardware stores became increasingly popular, the great-granddaughter of Mr. Evers made the decision to close the store and lease it to another business