SAN FRANCISCO—Progress Hardware, established in 1948, had been closed down since a three-alarm fire occurred on Tuesday, August 8, 2023.
A GoFundMe page raised more than $63,000 for rebuilding the store, which is located at 724 Irving Street. Progress Hardware also received a grant for fire disaster relief from San Francisco Office of Small Businesses, and $9,750 from the office of District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar.
Neighborhood residents were watching the repairs and reconstruction of the hardware store building it back up from its ashes in the past few months. However, according to the co-owner, Randy Blair of Progress Hardware, it is not coming back to fruition.
Because of the fire, the hardware store has lost its business and liability insurance coverage, related the owners. The owners could not come to a new lease agreement with the current landlord. With tariffs, prices for hardware have also skyrocketed.
Joe Blair was the other co-owner and father to Randy Blair, who wishes to past the legacy of Progress Hardware onto his son. But upon the realization of owning the hardware store will cost him more than $1 million, he decided to leave the business.
