File:People's Home & Auto in the old Swank Hardware Building..jpg

Summary

This is the original People's Home & Auto in the old Swank Hardware Building. Irv Kolker is on the right with a customer.

According to the Brunswick Citizen when People's Home Furnishers closed in the Spring of 1990, "the People's business grew from a tiny hardware store into a furniture and major appliance store. In 1945, Nat Winters and Irv Kolker bought the hardware store owned by Harry Feldman, which was located in the Hovermale Building across from the old fire hall on West Potomac Street. A year later, the business moved into an East Potomac Street property owned by the Kaplon family.

When the hardware store was put up for sale by the Swank family, the partners bought it and moved their stock to this much larger space, also offering major appliances, bicycles, hardware, pots & pans, and auto parts.

(Photo from the Myer Kaplon photo collection at the Brunswick Community Library; Frederick County Public Libraries; information from The Brunswick Citizen)

I believe People's Home and Auto under Irv Kolker and Nat Winters took over from Swank after World War II. After the state had the building razed for the bridge in 1954-55, they expanded the old Western Auto building next to the Metropolitan Tavern (now Potomac St Grill) and were in business there until the early '80s when it closed...Peter

Ann Griffis: Irv told me that my brother was the youngest person he approved for credit. Think he was 8 or 9.