Macon Hardware Sells For $2.6M; Future Unclear For Bed-Stuy Landmark

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — After more than a year of being closed, the building that housed one of Bed-Stuy's longtime Black-owned businesses has officially changed hands.

After more than 100 years in business, Macon Hardware at 339 Macon Street, near Marcus Garvey Boulevard, closed down in early 2023.

The building also housed Bey’s Barbershop and vintage clothing store Catcistas.

Warren Hayes, the owner of the property, told Brownstoner that after the death of his mother, Clara Hayes, who ran the store for over 70 years, and the death of his brother, there was nobody left to run the business, leading him to sell the building.

The property, which consists of five units with a total square footage of 4,200, was sold to Nikole Hannah-Jones for $2,600,000, according to investment sales specialist Brian Davila.

While little is known about the future of the building, Davila told Patch that the new owner plans to renovate the upstairs apartments and convert the ground-floor commercial spaces into a community center or social club.

The building on the corner of Macon Street had been in the Hayes family since Clara and her husband purchased it in 1987, having previously worked in the store under its prior owners, friends previously told Patch.

For many in the neighborhood, Macon Hardware was more than just a store; it was a cornerstone of the community, offering not only goods but also fostering a sense of camaraderie behind its doors.

"As I got older, what I got there was just an ear to listen," Janell Smith, whose grandmother was good friends with Clara, previously told Patch. "You came in there to buy things, but you really came in there for the experience — to see Ms. Hayes."

Even as Bed-Stuy changed through the decades, Clara's magnetic personality was considered a constant that drew in new neighbors as well as old friends, Catherine Soloman, who helped Clara run the store for more than a decade, said.