Liquidation sale signs are posted on the Main Street entrance to Wilson’s Hardware in Lansdale shortly ahead of its closing in Feb. 2022. Photo by Dan Sokil | The Reporter.
Event space and apartments could be featured in former hardware shop
More details could be made public this week on plans to revive one of Lansdale’s most popular storefronts.
Council’s code committee heard a preview this month of a public hearing slated for Nov. 19 on plans for a new occupant of 217 West Main Street.
“217 West Main Street: we saw a presentation for the old Wilson’s Hardware. They want to create that into an event space, and five apartments on the second and third floors,” said Code Director Rick Lesniak.
In 2022 Wilson’s Hardware closed its doors at 217 West Main, a business that had been owned by Charles and Toni Venezia since 2015, Joe and Chris Flyzik from 1984, and Bill Wilson prior, according to MediaNews Group archives. The west side of the building was originally Kindig’s Store, then expanded by Jake Geller as Geller’s Grand Emporium in the 1880s, according to research by the Lansdale Historical Society, and after Geller died in 1916, was operated as Spier’s Hardware into the 1930s, then Drissel’s Hardware from 1936 until 1964, when purchased by Bill Wilson.
“It’s not a restaurant — it’s an event space, and apartments,” Lesniak said, adding that more details will be presented during a formal hearing before council and the public.
Code committee chair Rafia Razzak added that she heard during the planning commission discussions that the first floor would also include a commercial kitchen for food preparation, and that the facility could be used for small events “from a small baby shower, up to a graduation” celebration.
“For the parking situation, that was my question: he said that for event planning, whoever is going to reach out to him, they will make arrangements around parking. So people would not have any kind of inconvenience. It sounded pretty good,” she said.
Mayor Garry Herbert added that he liked the reuse of a vacant storefront: “It’s a good use of space. And we need an event space in town: just a space where people can gather, that they can rent — affordably,” Herbert said.
Razzak then asked if the applicant had included any specific number of maximum occupants for the space, and Lesniak said he and code staff would determine that number based on the finalized design.
“When the presentation comes, you guys can all take a look. I personally thought it’s a nice idea, but it will be here for all of you guys to see,” Razzak said.
Lansdale’s borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on Nov. 19 at the borough municipal building, 1 Vine Street. For more information visit www.Lansdale.org.
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