Carr Hardware's Bart Raser shakes hands with Joseph Scapin Jr., owner of Lee Hardware. Carr is purchasing the neighboring hardware store and Scapin will stay on to manage the transition.
Carr Hardware Expanding With the Purchase of Lee Hardware
Lee Hardware has been in business since the 1940s and will continue as True Value store.
LEE, Mass. — Carr Hardware announced on Monday that it expects to close on its acquisition of Lee Hardware on Sept. 27.
Carr Hardware will continue operating as Lee Hardware True Value with no interruption in service.
In business since the 1940s, Joseph Scapin Jr. has owned and been running the Lee store since 1991 and will stay on to ensure a smooth transition.
"In making this decision, it was important that the qualities I value for my employees, customers and community continue. I am confident that uniting our two family business legacy will do just that. It has been an amazing 30 years with the support from the community and employees of Lee Hardware," Scapin said. "I am honored to have served your families and businesses over the years and am looking forward to some new life adventures, including seeing you while shopping at the store."
The store will retain management, store personnel, and shoppers will still find brands like Benjamin Moore, Scotts, Weber, Husqvarna and more.
Down the street, Carr Hardware will also continue to operate a sister location. With plans to increase and differentiate products in both hardware stores, customers will have a broader range of shopping opportunities, said Carr Hardware President Bart Raser
"I have enormous admiration for Joey, Courtney and their family's business. We have been respectfully competing for 80 years. They run a great community focused store with strong brands and friendly local folks — both of which will continue," he said. "Leveraging our strengths, the amazing staff and expanding the business will bring more offerings, a well-organized shopping experience, and even better pricing."
Carr Hardware has been in business for nearly a century. It was purchased in 1962 by the Raser family and now has stores Pittsfield, Lee, Lenox, Great Barrington, North Adams and Springfield and in Avon and Enfield in Connecticut.
It was named the National Independent Small Business of the Year in 2017; National LED Retailer of the Year in 2016; featured on CBS' "Undercover Boss" and has been voted Best of the Berkshires 23 years in a row. More information about Carr Hardware is available at: www.carrhardware.com.
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Elevated Mercury Level Found in Center Pond Fish
BECKET, Mass. — The state Department of Public Health has issued an advisory after a mercury-contaminated fish was found in Center Pond.
According to a letter sent to the local Board of Health from the Division of Environmental Toxicology, Hazard Assessment and Prevention, elevated levels of mercury were measured in the sample taken from the pond.
The concentration in the fish exceeded DPH's action level of 0.5 milligrams per kilogram, or parts per million.
"This indicates that daily consumption of fish from the waterbody may pose a health concern. Therefore, DPH has issued a FCA for Center Pond recommending that sensitive populations should not eat chain pickerel and all other people should limit consumption of chain pickerel to 2 meals/month," the letter states.
The letter specifically points to chain pickerel, but the 60-acre pond also has largemouth and smallmouth bass and yellow perch.
The "sensitive populations" include children younger than 12, those who are nursing, pregnant, or who may become pregnant.
The Toxicology Division recommends reducing intake of "large, predatory fish" or fish that feed on the bottoms of waterbodies, such as largemouth bass and carp. More information on safely eating fish can be found here.
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