By Heather Posey
Staff Writer
B&B Hardware owners Tom and Lola Barnes have opened their second full-service, family-owned “neighborhood hardware store” at 387 Redondo Avenue in Long Beach. The new store, known as B&B Hardware II, is located along the borders of Rose Park, Bluff Heights and Belmont Heights, catering to the local historical districts.
“We figured there’s a great demand in this area for access to this hardware, and we have gotten a great response from people around here,” said Mark Estrada, a door and window specialist who manages the Redondo store.
B&B Hardware II differs from the Wardlow store in that the main focus of the Redondo showroom is the sale and installation of doors and windows, decorative hardware and authentic, restored period lighting for new and vintage home styles such as Craftsman, Bungalow, Spanish Revival, Mission, and Cottage.
“There’s a lot of work to be done on these houses. There are 17 districts in the historical area of Long Beach and all the windows that we offer have already been approved by the historical department and planning department of the city of Long Beach,” said Estrada.
The opening of the store aims to service the hundreds of homes that are seeking to be restored and maintain the historic character of the home back when it was first built.
“We are here to help all people that live in the historical area and seek to achieve that with as little headache as possible,” Estrada said.
Additionally, B&B Hardware II boasts a fabulous inventory of restored period lighting from the 1920s and ’30s, including chandeliers and wall sconces. It also has a wide array of odds and ends picked up by Barnes over the past few years.
“When we buy the hardware, we also buy old doors and hardware,” said Estrada. “If they have boxes of stuff getting in the way, they bring it down here and make an offer. That’s where all this antique stuff came from.”
And although many things can be found–from mailboxes to lamps and antique radios–all doors and windows sold are installed by B&B Hardware, whose staff is also licensed contractors.
For more information about the Redondo store and B&B Hardware, call (562) 438-2669.
