Local hardware

A 67-year-old mom-and-pop store is retiring

Story by Rachel Stone | Photo by Rasy Ran

When Ken McRae was a little kid, his dad would pay him a nickel for every gallon he could fill with kerosene or paint thinner.

If he filled 20 drums, he could ride his bike to the Texas Theatre and pay for admission to the Saturday matinee and a big pickle.

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His dad, Henry McRae, in 1948 opened a business on South Hampton that would become McRae’s Paint and Hardware. Now, after 67 years in business, McRae’s is closing. Ken and his wife, Doris, have been running the store for decades, and they are ready to retire. Their two sons have successful careers of their own — 40-year-old Nathan works in the security industry, and 37-year-old Christopher is a district manager for Starbucks in Los Angeles.

There’s no one to take over the business, and besides, it has floundered in the years since Home Depot opened on Fort Worth Avenue, around the same time Walmart and Lowe’s opened on Cockrell Hill.

The little hardware store, where the owners know customers by name and can look up paint colors they had mixed in the 1980s, is a relic of times when shopping local was the only choice.

“It was pretty much a disaster for us,” Ken McRae says of the nearby big-box stores. “My prices are about the same, but I’ve never had the advertising dollars to remind people of it.”

But let’s go back to more fortunate times.

Henry McRae, having served in World War II, opened an Army/Navy Surplus store at the corner of Hampton and Clarendon in 1948, the same year his son was born. Always handy, he soon expanded to appliance and TV repair. Then he became a bonded locksmith and added keys and locks to the business. In 1952, he started selling paint. A few years later, the elder McRae commissioned his own brand of paint from a subsidiary of Benjamin Moore. The store offered McRae Paint for decades.

In 1963, Henry McRae built a new building across the street, at 1232 S. Hampton. Now that building is on the market.

Ken McRae went to Greiner Middle School and graduated from Sunset High School. Doris McRae, who originally is from Germany, graduated from Kimball.

He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during Vietnam.

“I had 30 days of leave every year, and my dad expected me to be in the store,” he says. “So I would be there.”

He left the military in 1974 and went to work fulltime in the family business. Henry McRae died in 1979 and Ken McRae ran the business mostly by himself, sometimes 100 hours a week, until around 1993. By then, their sons were in high school, so Doris came to work in the store fulltime, too.

After the big box stores came in, Ken McRae expanded with a printing business making business cards and banners, which he plans to continue operating.

After decades in the hardware business, Ken and Doris know their stuff. And they make sure they always know what they’re talking about.

“The thing I learned the quickest is to not adlib the answer, but to find out the correct answer,” he says. “There was a moral conviction to make sure I was giving the correct information.”

The McRaes now have third-generation customers who say their grandparents told them to shop there. Ken and Doris celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary last month. They reduced prices on some big-ticket items, and they stopped restocking, but they hadn’t yet told their customers they were closing, possibly as early as next month.

With his newfound free time, Ken has plans to travel to Costa Rica early next year to help finish a school.

“I’m healthy, and I want to be able to do things with my wife without punching a clock,” he says. SEE MORE PHOTOS: Visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com.

Lakehill Preparatory School

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep.org

Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

4019 S. Hampton Rd. Dallas 75224/ 214.331.5139 / www.saintspride.com

At St. Elizabeth of Hungary, our fundamental task is the education of the whole child -- combining learning with faith, Catholic doctrines and moral teachings. We introduce all PK3-8th Grade students to the integrated ways of STEM. This approach to education is designed to revolutionize the teaching of subject areas such as mathematics and science by incorporating technology and engineering into regular curriculum. Over the past 10 years, 95% of St. Elizabeth 8th graders were accepted to their first choice high school. Join us for an informational school tour and see for yourself how easy it is to become a Saint! Call 214.331.5139 for information.

School

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service. St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.

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Nonprofits

The Old Oak Cliff Conservation League gave $22,000 to seven neighborhood nonprofits recently. The league raises money through its annual home tour to provide grants to member neighborhoods, which use the funds for neighborhood beautification, crime prevention, improved sidewalks, supporting neighborhood schools and other efforts. For the past few years, the league has raised enough money to give some to nonprofits as well.

Norma’s Cafe raised $1,300 for Operation Kindness during its Dog Days of Summer event. Also, two dogs in need found homes that day.

Parks

The City of Dallas has slated Kidd Springs Park to become a “community aquatics center” as part of the new $52.8 million aquatics plan, funded by the sale of parkland at Lake Ray Hubbard. The $4.5-million renovation at Kidd Springs could include creating a “beach entry” with a slope instead of steps, a wading pool for small children and more, depending upon community input. The pool at Martin Weiss Park also is slated for a makeover, although that would be funded by a future bond election.

People

Dr. Martin Koonsman has taken the reins as president of Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Koonsman has been practicing medicine for 27 years as a general surgeon. For the past two years, he’s served as the chief medical officer for Methodist hospital, working with staff to advance the quality of care provided and services offered.

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