Monday, January 4, 2016

Adaptation

A dead pig hangs in a Poughkeepsie storefront. Inside, a young woman by the name of Carlotta whistles as she takes apart a hind quarter, preparing various cuts for the customers. Sawdust covers the floor to catch the blood. Out front stands William Henry Davies, a recent Welch immigrant and owner of this shop. That’s his daughter cutting the meat inside. He watches as the sheep arrive after their march up Main St. from the train. They’re headed for the slaughter house around back which Davies also owns. He’s also got a livery stable back there and a general store not far off. If there’s something that people need, Davies will sell it, and that’s why business is good. The year is 1888 and Davies is living the American dream. It will be almost a hundred years before his great grandson, Matthew Davies, will take over in the late 1970’s and by then the store will have changed completely.


Could William possibly imagine how his store would change? Could he possibly guess or even hope that it would still be in his family in the year 2016? Can you, my reader, guess whether it will still be there in the year 2144? That’s the same amount of time in the future as the founding of the store is in the past. Both seem impossibly far away. I wouldn’t hazzard to guess anything about the year 2144 and 1888 seems equally a world apart. Yet the Davies family offers a line of continuity between that Poughkeepsie of the distant past and our present day and their story may offer an insight into how their store and Poughkeepsie generally can imagine its future.


What was passed on in the Davies family was not so much a particular business, but a parcel of land and a spirit of entrepreneurship. That spirit has guided the business to change with changing times. First it was a butcher shop, general store and livery stables, then the butcher shop and stables were replaced with a business distributing feed to livestock at local farms and finally it became the hardware store we know today with the surrounding property rented out. In each case the changes were a response to a changing Poughkeepsie.




When I go in to Davies Hardware for the first time I know none of its history. To me, it’s just the local hardware store and I need some sandpaper for my new electric sander. It’s really nice that I can walk there from my house and even nicer that they let me bring the dog inside. That means I can combine chores. The place is jam packed with everything you could need around the house from paint to brackets and screws and a million other things all in a space of one aisle of Home Depot. Despite being packed, everything is neat and organized.


Matt is the cashier at the checkout. He’s a tall man with short blond hair and a blue sweatshirt. He’s got a gentle smile and easy way about him. He offers a biscuit for my dog Chico. “Thanks,” I say, “I really like this place. Have you worked here long?” “About 40 years” he says. “That’s a long time. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” I explain to him about the blog and how I’m trying to learn more about Poughkeepsie and tell its story. He agrees and as we get talking I realize that he’s the owner.


He says “you can see where the old store was if you look at the floor. Over there where there’s wood floors, that’s the original store. The rest of it is additions” He tells me about his great grandfather starting with his butcher shop and how the store has changed.


It’s changed a lot even in his own lifetime. He tells me, “It isn’t always easy running a store. There was competition when Home Depot came in of course, but that wasn’t so bad. We’ve got loyal customers and service that Home Depot can’t touch. The real competition now is the internet. My daughter is helping to make sure people can see us online. She’s doing the Facebook page and is going to start posting on Craigslist.”


“Is she going to take over when you’re ready to retire?”


He holds up two crossed fingers and smiles. “I hope so… if that’s what she wants.”


“And what about you? Was it hard deciding to take over the business instead of doing something else.”


“No, not really. I have two older brothers. They both wanted to do something else, but for me, I always knew that I wanted to do this. I mean, it isn’t easy running a business. Things were really tough for a few years there during the recession. There were times when we were barely holding on” he holds up his fingers like a mountain climber to demonstrate the point, “I thought we might have to close the doors for good, but we made it through.”


“It seems pretty busy now.”


“Yea, well things are getting better. People are building again and doing repairs to their homes, so things are alright. One thing we’re working on now is hiring a bilingual person. It seems like a lot of people born here in the US don’t want the blue collar jobs, so we’ve got a lot of Spanish speaking clients. If we’re gonna help them we need to speak the language. You’ve just gotta keep adapting.”


That’s right, I think, you’ve got to keep adapting. In 1888 Matt’s great grandfather was an immigrant too. He saw a need in Poughkeepsie and he built a business by meeting it. Now a new wave of immigrants is moving in filling a new need. Davies is not sitting around lamenting how times have changed; they’re changing with the times.


The past lives on at Davies Hardware, but not as a museum piece. It is living because it’s changing. The old wood floor is surrounded by the cement additions. The brick and mortar is supported with social media. Even the language of business is adapting. The only way to survive, it seems, is to change.


“Hey listen, it’s been nice talking to you,” he tells me, “but I need to get back to work.” Why don’t you take this article. It’ll give you some more details about the history of the store.” He hands me a Poughkeepsie Journal article from March. I thank him and we say our goodbyes.  

I look around at the city surrounding Davies Hardware. Across the street is a Mexican restaurant and outside a man is talking on his cell phone. Down the road a bit someone is vaping an e-cigarette. Cars zip by in every direction. 128 years ago, when W.H. Davies started his business, this world in front of my eyes would have seemed completely alien. So much has changed. And just as William could not have imagined this city, it is impossible to imagine what the city might be like 128 years in our own future or how alien that world might look to us. What we can do is look around at this amazing present where we find ourselves, at the people and businesses who are making it work. We live in incredible times right here and now. The world is changing more quickly than ever before and that means opportunities are everywhere. If only we can see them. If only we can adapt.

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