About Citylivingstores.com and Economy Hardware

Economy Hardware was founded in 1948 by newlyweds Herb & Harriet Friedman and Harriet's brother Larry Katz. Moses Katz, Harriet's father and co-owner of a store called Cambridge Furniture, gave seed money to found the business to ensure that Herb and Harriet would have a stable financial future. Moses also selected the Columbus section of Massachusetts Avenue in Boston to be the location of the Economy Hardware store. He chose that area because of the high population density as well as the many apartment buildings which were in need of constant repair.

Economy Hardware moved up and down Massachusetts Avenue several times before landing in its current spot, number 219, in 1979. That same year, Herb and Harriet's son Larry (named after Harriet's brother) joined the family business after graduating from college. Herb officially retired in 1993, and Larry still runs the business today.

In 1990 Economy opened its' second location at 438 Massachusetts in Cambridge, where Cambridge Furniture, Moses Katz's store, had stood since 1898. Larry went on to open two more Economy Hardware stores; the Brookline location opened in 1996 and Allston followed in 1997. All four stores are within 2.5 square miles of each other; however, each serves a unique trading area. To keep up with the ever-changing needs of a dynamic city, Economy Hardware has evolved its' merchandise mix to include not only hardware, but also many household and storage solutions and contemporary home furnishings.

Economy Hardware strives to give customers the service they desire. The stores are open 7 days a week and easily accessible by car, by foot or by MBTA -- of course, the online store in open for business 24 hours a day.