If you happen to stop by Station Hardware for a bolt, bag of mulch, or whatever might fix your clogged sink, you will almost undoubtedly cross paths with either Mark or Jeff Feldman, who have been behind the counter at the Landing hardware store since 1993. Mark, who worked in wholesale hardware and landscaping supplies for 25 years, opened across the street in the old Landing train station in 1993 (hence the name), before moving the business across Landing Road into its current location at 101 Kings Highway—the site of a longtime hardware store itself. “I love solving people’s problems,” Jeff says. “It’s great to help people. And we can’t help but run into people we know around town, which is really neat. We’re an inevitable destination for a lot of people.” Mark, 65, says he enjoys the social nature of hardware stores. “It’s great to meet people and be a part of the community,” he says. “I really think the small store is coming back. People experienced the big store, and a great number of people are coming back to the small hardware store.” Jeff, 34, says he and his brothers sold baseball cards as kids, so retail was a part of his nature, and with Mark’s background in hardware supplies, the knowledge base was strong. Jeff went to Trenton State (which became the College of New Jersey while he was there), and now lives in Hackettstown with his wife, Renee, and nine-month-old daughter, Faith. He grew up in Randolph with his family, where Mark still lives. The store is open seven days a week, year round, with the exception of Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. And Jeff says you’ll almost always see him or his dad behind the register, or amid the aisles, helping out a customer. “Only certain family weddings take us both out of the store at the same time,” he says. “Otherwise, one of us is usually here.”
The usual questions: What is your favorite lake destination?
Mark: “That’s a tough one, because I don’t want to single one place out. But my wife and I frequent the Windlass, Cambiotti’s, and the Ridge.” Jeff: “The Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club.” What is your earliest memory of Lake Hopatcong? Mark: “Visiting the Bertrand Island amusement park.” Jeff: “I remember coming up as kids… someone who owned a hardware store in Denville called Anchor Supply had a place up here, and we used to come up to his place and swim. I thought it was great! I lived right over in Randolph and didn’t realize we had such a big lake nearby.”
Describe the perfect day on the lake.
Mark: “A boat ride in the morning, lunch at the Windlass, and fireworks in the evening—which I got to experience this weekend.” Jeff: “Any day with clear skies and nice weather is a great day, no matter the season.”