Lopes & Sons

Located at 98 Ferry Street and run by proprietor Manny Lopes, Lopes and Sons Hardware is a business where locals living in the ironbound can find their basic hardware necessities.  However, this hardware store is unlike any other.

When the building was first built back in the early 1900s it was a store that sold items for religious purposes.  Other than from stories passed down through generations, not much is known about the building’s past.  Nevertheless, the store was soon transformed into a hardware store called Newark Salvage which was also around the same time Manny Lopes started working there in 1973.  In that decade two Portuguese men bought Newark Salvage and turned it into Newark Hardware. Years later, with trust and friendship, Mr. Lopes became partners with one of his bosses and kept store named as Newark Hardware.  It wasn’t until fifteen to twenty years later Mr. Lopes became sole owner and decided to change the name to Lopes and Sons Hardware.

The store itself is located in a very populated area. It has a sign overhead reading “Lopes & Sons Hardware” with a small window displaying some of the items Mr. Lopes sells.  Looking into the window there are a few eye-catching objects that will get one’s attention.  For example, one can see a machete, hardware hats, empty wine bottles, bottle caps and more! Those are a peculiar choice of items to display upfront and very interesting! The hardware store sells stuff such as hand tools, electrical supplies, pest control supplies, wine making supplies, locksets, padlocks & keys, transformers 110/220 volts, hardware and housewares.

Lopes and Sons Hardware functions in the Ironbound through a cultural background.  Since Newark, specifically the ironbound, is composed of families of immigrants - Mr. Lopes is able to cater to their needs on a level in which a language barrier is not a problem.  Manny Lopes speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and English which helps customers feel comfortable shopping and able to relay information about the product they want with confidence. One will not find this level of communication and expertise of knowledge of hardware at a large, national store such as Lowes or Home Depot. 

Lopes & Sons Hardware has been a Ferry Street fixture for almost thirty years.  One of the ways it has survived the competition of national big box chains like Lowe’s and Home Depot is by selling items that cater to the needs of Ironbound residents: machetes for landscaping; empty wine bottles to store homemade wine; hard hats and neon colored vests for construction sites. Manny calls it a “Moms and Pops Hardware” because it provides all the local necessities the way parents themselves do. Mr. Lopes runs the store himself and when you are walking down Ferry Street you can spot him standing outside the store inviting people in and greeting them first hand.  Visit 98 Ferry Street and you will definitely not be disappointed!