Chet’s Hardware, Family Owned and Operated with Pride

CATALINA ISLAND— Chet’s Hardware was established in 1962 and has been in the Cassidy family since 1977, when Edward and Patricia Cassidy purchased the store. They later sold the store to their son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Cinde Cassidy, who have owned and operated the store for the last ten years. 

The name stayed the same, but the location changed during COVID-19, moving from its first location in Atwater Arcade to its new location on Catalina Avenue, where the old Vons grocery store was. 

The hardware store has a unique position on the island and tries to cater to not only the builders and DIY-ers but also the maritime community. 

“Because of the unique circumstances of being on an island, we cater to not only the building industry but to our maritimers,” said Cinde Cassidy, owner. “So, we have a large selection of boating-related items as well as a pretty large selection of home goods in terms of home supplies, linens, things like that.”

The new location offers a bigger and updated space for the popular store so they can continue to offer the same variety of goods and new opportunities that weren’t there before, like their new 200-square-foot plant nursery. 

“It is really exciting to walk up the street and see all the greenery,” said Cassidy. “…Especially with the pandemic, people started gardening a lot more, so that was nice for our locals, but also just we haven’t had a nursey on the island for quite some time…And so now we are providing that opportunity for our locals.”

The store has been working with the Catalina Island Conservancy to bring in native plants for its customers and has a mainland contact for ornamental and flower succulents. 

Chet’s Hardware continues to bring a wide variety of products for its customers. For more information on the store’s goods, check out their website at https://www.chetshardware.com/.