Five generations – one Thames hardware store. Read Bros Hardware has been around since 1867, looking after the ever-changing hardware needs of Thames and the Coromandel.
Back in 1867, they serviced mainly gold miners, looking to buy sawn timber, pit props, & railway sleepers. Now Read Bros has just about one of everything – their inventory contains more than 14,000 different items, including hardware, farming equipment, camping and marine supplies, homeware and yes, there’s still gold pans on sale too.
It’s been a family-run business right from the beginning the torch has passed through generations, with Charles and Arthur succeeding founder John Read, followed by Alan, Stuart, and currently John.
When John started Reads Bros, he was a timber merchant and ironmonger. The timber yard was just south of the Pacific Hotel and Academy of Music which were located on the south-west corner of Albert and Brown Streets in Thames.
Today this is part of Victoria Park South. As this business expanded, Read opened a second yard at the south end of Pollen Street, Thames. In 1935 a building that son Arthur constructed beside the Exchange Hotel on Pollen Street became the premises for the present day business.
Arthur also maintained a workshop at the rear of the premises where he replaced saucepan handles, sharpened saws and other tools, mended primus stoves, soldered up leaking pots and kettles, repaired windows, fixed doors, mixed paint in preparation for contract jobs and tended to the needs of the local fishing fleet. You name it, he did it. This hands-on approach exemplified Read Bros Hardware’s commitment to comprehensive customer service.
In 1996, strategic expansion involved purchasing the adjacent Exchange Hotel property, leading to the construction of a larger shop. The business, now under John and Nicola’s ownership since 2021, has embraced the digital age with a website and Facebook presence, expanding its reach and adapting to modern consumer trends.
Right from the early days, Read Bros Hardware prided itself on being able to stock quality hardware of every conceivable kind – because who knows what the people of Thames and the Coromandel might need?
“If you can’t find it, Read Bros will have it”.
It may not be in the store downstairs, but the attic is rumoured to contain labeled boxes from Arthur or Alan, symbolising the store’s dedication to maintaining a comprehensive inventory.
