Helping Make Frenchtown Home: The Generations Behind Frenchtown’s Oldest Store

Standing prominently on Kingwood Avenue, Frenchtown Home and Hardware is the borough’s oldest continuously operating retail tradition. The store’s journey reflects the changing character of the borough across three centuries.

In 1884 George W. Eddy and his son Samuel purchased an existing hardware business housed in the three-story “Eddy Block” at 34–40 Bridge Street. In an era when Delaware River traffic, the canal and the Belvidere Delaware Railroad powered local commerce, Eddy’s store supplied residents with homestead tools, agricultural supplies and heavy building materials.

The Eddy family operated the business through four generations. In 1962, William “Bill” Eddy downsized and relocated the store to 47 Bridge Street. Bill ended the 96-year family dynasty in 1980 when he sold the business to Howard “Gene” Hale who is remembered by locals as a “true gem” who could help fix almost anything.

Renaming the store “Frenchtown Home & Hardware,” Hale moved the store in 1983 to 11 Kingwood Avenue—originally E.B. Apgar’s auto-repair garage. Hale adapted the inventory while preserving the tradition of old-fashioned personal service.

In 2012, Hale handed the reins to Mike Tyksinski. Modernized to serve today’s homeowners, tradespeople and DIYers, the store remains rooted in the community spirit established by the Eddys and preserved by Hale. In an era dominated by big-box stores and online retail, Frenchtown Home and Hardware remains a rare local treasure. Besides serving the Frenchtown community through the store’s retail operations, Tyksinski is active in the Frenchtown Professional and Business Association and supporting the local arts community.

From left to right: Bill and Vivian Eddy, Gene Hale and Mike Tyksinski. Photos and history courtesy of Rick Epstein, Mike Tysinski and the Hale family