Trish Hardware, aka the Trish Home Center, located at 227 East Main St. (Route 9) in Tuckerton, has permanently closed after many years in business.
Its entire inventory was sold through two no-reserve liquidation auctions organized by Geyer Auction Companies.
The first was on Tuesday, Sept. 29 when Milwaukee tools, hardware, Traeger and Weber grills, nuts, bolts, electrical and plumbing supplies, a forklift, lawn and garden supplies and much more were on the auction block. The second was the next day, when items such as paints, key cutting machines, key blanks, lock sets and doorknobs were added to the list.
Trish opened in 1978. The auction notices didn’t cite a specific operational or financial reason, but they confirmed the close was final and that the store was not continuing operations. This aligns with a broader trend in 2026, when many independent hardware stores across the country have closed due to owner retirement without a successor or lack of a buyer, rather than immediate financial distress. Independent hardware stores also have to compete against home improvement giants such as The Home Depot and Lowe’s, both of which have stores in Manahawkin.
The Home Depot flourished in 2020 when there was an ever-increasing demand for home improvement as millions of people observed stay-at-home orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For its fiscal year that ended in February 2021, Home Depot generated $132.11 billion in revenues. The company offers more than 40,000 items in its big-box stores that average 104,000 feet. As of March 2021, Home Depot had 2,313 stores and more than 500,000 employees.
That’s tough competition. Here’s an interesting fact: Home Depot was founded in 1978, the same year Trish Hardware opened.
