Rounds is Closing

After 65 years in business, Round's True Value will close.  Bill and Bruce Round are retiring.  There will no longer be a hardware store at 290 Main Street, Stoneham, Massachusetts where Round's Hardware has operated seven days a week for 45 years.

We are sorry to go, but we've been at it for a long, long time. Many of our contemporaries in the business have retired and moved on.  Now it's our turn. 

We will begin our "retirement sale" on February 1st, 2025.  Everything must go.  We are selling the store back to the walls. Now is the time to stock up and save.  Later on, Round's will be gone.  Every week will feature a new and increased markdown percentage from our regular prices.  Shop early for the best selection.

Our reputation in the area is based on selection and service.  Customers frequently complimented us on the breadth and depth of our assortment.  To have so much in such a compact and convenient presentation was a real benefit to our customers.  Please shop us while this is still the case.  Once we are gone, this will all be lost.

Here are answers to questions we have been asked over since the news of our closing came out.

Did you go bankrupt?  No.  That was our wholesaler, The True Value Corporation.  Round's True Value Hardware has been owned by the Round family since its inception.

Do you own the building?  Yes, and now we are selling it.

Will there be a hardware store at this location?   No. 

Aren't there family members to take over?   No.  They saw other career opportunities with fewer working hours required and no inventory investment.

Why couldn't you sell the hardware store to someone else?  There were no interested buyers to take both the store and the real estate.  To paraphrase the old real estate saying, the highest and best use of 290 Main Street is no longer a retail store.  Retailing in general has taken big hits. It is in a general downturn in response to demographic and distribution channel changes.  Amazon did not exit 20 years ago; now it defines retailing. Big box retailers changed all sorts of things.  Dad Round was terrified of K-Mart back in the seventies to bring some perspective to this.  While there is still a mission for stores such as Round's to fulfill, we are too old and tired to address the radically changed employment conditions, minimum wage increases, compulsory benefits, regulations, and overhead costs.  These are best addressed by larger business organizations with three or more stores to apply economies of scale. 

What will they do with 290 Main Street and the store building?   Most likely our building will be repurposed to residential, most likely condos.  These is a high probability that the new owner will use the shell of our 112-year-old building for just that.  He will not know until his planners have thoroughly analyzed the property.

Isn't 290 Main Street an Historic Building?  No.  George Washington did not sleep here.  While Mr Round, Senior, and his trusty basset hound were popular local characters, their exploits did not lend any historic note to the property.

How is Mr Round and his dog?  I used to love seeing them every time I came in.  Mr Round has been dead for three years;  Jasper the basset hound for at least 10.

Did Mr Round build the A.P. Rounds playground on the North end of town by the cemetery?    No.  The playground was named after Mr. A.P. Rounds, an old-time Stoneham developer who may have passed away in the 60's or early 70's.  He was a member of the ROUNDS family, spelled with an S.  Bill, Bruce, and Mr Round are members of the ROUND family, with NO "s" at the end.  There is a John J Round park and playground in Wakefield across from Crystal Lake.  That was named after Dad's father, and our grandfather.  Mr JJ Rounds was a notable citizen in Wakefield. He had been chairman of the board of selectmen, active in many town committees and organizations, and donated land and trees to the town of Wakefield.  He was responsible for securing the Crystal Lake watershed.  There are no houses on the lake in large part to his efforts.  He donated 20 acres of land on the western shore.

Will the store be moved to another location?  No.  Bill and Bruce are retiring.  The store is going into liquidation.

When will you close?  We will run normally until the end of January.  We will sell everything off during the month of February.  March is clean up and close on an exact day to be announced. We will be Hard-closed by the 26th of March. 

Are there any more copies of Mr Round's Favorite Stories Available?  No, but check with the Stoneham Public Library.  Bill Round may be reading these with recordings accessible via Substack or Spotify.  Additionally, Bill Round may post to Substack from time to time accounts of life and business at Round's Hardware through the years.  The hardware business needs a Garrison Keillor type to chronicle the unbelievable, the everyday, the imagined, and the preposterous that came through the doors at 290 Main street.  Stories about Mr Round's (frequent) near death experiences, his encounter with Stoneham High School horror movie makers,  the story of Mr Round Buys a car, and others may eventually find there way to Bill's Substack account. The story of Doll House business once operated by my mother in an office over the hardware store will eventually appear.   Search William Round on Substack.

Mr Round always had a beagle with him. Was that the dog he had?  No. He had basset hounds most of his life.  Dad grew up with Irish Setters.  He said they were daft dogs, capable of running all day long, swimming across lakes, and jumping six-foot fences.  He wanted a relaxed, laid-back dog, good with kids, and incapable of jumping over anything.  We think that Dad also wanted a distinctive dog with character, a prop of sorts, a conversation starter, and a breed not often seen on the street.  The basset hound fit the bill. There were five of them over the years.

When did you redo the front desk?  We had a front desk project in the works prior to COVID.  We finally got around to it in March of 2024.  If you just noticed it, you have not been in our store for quite some time.  We are grateful for your support and business over the years.  Please note that local businesses can only thrive with frequent, continued, and significant patronage. 

What will Bruce and Bill be doing after the store closes?  Bruce intends to lead the life of a gentleman farmer in Deerfield, NH.  Bill may seek continued employment or do contract consulting in inventory control. Bill is considered an expert in the hardware industry on the topic of "how not to run a family business."

William H Round

Stoneham, MA 1.12.2025