Mercier's Hardware on Water Street in Warren has been in the family now for four generations. It started as a combination grocery store and hardware store in 1923, but the grocery business was phased out in the 1930s. The business continued to grow and in the post-war boom of the 1950s a cinder block addition was made to the rear of the business. The family-run business has been handed down several times over the years, and in 1978 the fourth generation of Merciers entered the scene. The store remains a fixture on Water Street.
Post processing was focused on maintaining the accuracy of the colors and textures. A crisp filter was used in Topaz Adjust to draw out the details of the peeling paint, and that was further enhanced with an unsaturated HDR dramatic layer using a 6-pixel high pass filter in soft light blend mode. I adjusted the levels slightly for contrast. No photo filters were used this time around.
You'd think a hardware store would have a few cans of paint lyin' around. That poor old building could sure use a coat or two. ;-P
Actually, all kidding aside, that's pretty amazing that this establishment has survived and been a fixture in that neigborhood for nearly a century. Here's to a hundred more!
@cromwell LOL I was going to make a similar comment in the description regarding the paint! Interestingly enough, lack of a paint job seems to typify this entire street. Where's a Sherman Williams store when you need one?
@karens68 Thanks, Karen! I'll probably be back out that way again tomorrow. @allisonrap Thanks, Allison! It's the sign that caught my attention, too. The horrendously peeling paint on a hardware store was an added bonus. LOL @shortbuddy Thanks, Gina! Was an interesting backstory, for sure. @honeybees Thanks, Rebecca! I wish that texture was on the first floor. It would make an interesting background texture layer at some point.
Actually, all kidding aside, that's pretty amazing that this establishment has survived and been a fixture in that neigborhood for nearly a century. Here's to a hundred more!
@allisonrap Thanks, Allison! It's the sign that caught my attention, too. The horrendously peeling paint on a hardware store was an added bonus. LOL
@shortbuddy Thanks, Gina! Was an interesting backstory, for sure.
@honeybees Thanks, Rebecca! I wish that texture was on the first floor. It would make an interesting background texture layer at some point.
@eryck Thanks, Eryck.
@myautofocuslife Thanks, Livia!
@corymbia Thanks, Amanda!