By Kevin Aldridge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Alan McConnaughey of Western Hills, who works with Meyer Mechanical Service purchases drill bits from Sue Flory, owner of Burkhardt Pro Hardware in Carthage. (Photos by Craig Ruttle/The Cincinnati Enquirer)

Pictures of Sue Flory’s family, including her daughter Katie, lower left, decorate the wall at Burkhardt Pro Hardware in Carthage.

The Burkhardt Pro Hardware in Carthage Thursday, January 22, 2004. The hardware store was started in 1907 by the Burkhardt family and taken over by the Sue Flory’s family in 1978.

Burkhardt Pro Hardware store has been a fixture on Vine Street in the center of Carthage's small business strip for the past 97 years.

The neighborhood hardware store has survived in an area of such "big box" retailers as Lowe's and Home Depot.

Residents of this aging Mill Creek Valley neighborhood say the hardware store epitomizes the community's motto: "Deeply Rooted. Planning to Stay."

The hardware store is undergoing a $50,000 remodeling project that neighborhood leaders say is the anchor of a plan to redevelop Carthage's business district. The neighborhood of 2,412 residents - home to the county fairgrounds - has been clamoring for years to see more diverse retail and recreational uses along Vine Street.

The stretch is home to a number of small businesses, including a jewelry store, tanning salon, hair salon, tax office, beer drive-through and several used-car lots. There are an estimated 200 businesses in Carthage, but several grocery stores, pharmacies and other small shops have been lost over the years.

"Burkhardt is kind of an anchor for us to rebuild on, and the store gives us a sense of neighborhood history," said Robert Hartlaub Jr., president of the Carthage Civic League. "If that weren't here, we really would be starting from scratch."

Carthage has seen some significant community investment in the last couple of years.

AT A GLANCE

Population: 2,412 White: 87 percent (2,095) African-American: 9 percent (225) Hispanic: 2 percent (41) Other: 2 percent (51) Home occupancy rate: 56 percent Housing stock of single-family homes: 43 percent Area: 4 square miles Source: 2000 Census

The Mills of Carthage housing development, just west of Vine Street, has brought more than 60 new homes to the neighborhood. The homes, ranging from $120,000 to $185,000, are almost sold out.

Fifth Third Bank is also planning renovations at its Vine Street banking center.

Sue Flory, co-owner of the hardware store, said she wants to do her part to help revive Carthage's business sector. Flory's father, Frank Gray, bought the store in 1978 from Alfred and Monty Burkhardt.

Flory, 45, who now runs the store with her husband, said the last remodeling at the store was done more than 25 years ago. Starting in April, Burkhardt will undergo nine days of renovations to include new roofing, lighting and painting, among other changes.

"There comes a time when you have to make a decision to invest more in your business and make it happen," Flory said. "We didn't want to move."

Ken Kabel, chairman of the Carthage Community Urban Redevelopment Committee, said he hopes that other business owners along the strip will follow Burkhardt's lead. Kabel envisions turning Carthage's Vine Street business district into a shopping destination, particularly for the growing Hispanic population.

Kabel said Carthage already has a good foundation for this plan with Su Casa, a Hispanic ministry that recently moved into the former St. Charles Borromeo Church, and El Valle Verde, a marketplace at 66th and Vine streets run by a Guatemalan family.

"Carthage is attempting to capitalize on a growing Hispanic presence in the neighborhood," Kabel said. "We want to make Carthage a destination place for the Hispanic experience in Cincinnati. We ought to be known as the best place for Hispanics to build their businesses and establish their homes."

The business community recently received a grant to buy signs that would identify the boundaries of the business district in English and Spanish.

"That may seem small to some people, but that's how you get things started off in the right direction," Kabel said. "Carthage is truly a community that is open to other folks moving in."

The redevelopment committee has commissioned a market survey of all the properties available on Vine Street. Once the study is completed, the committee plans to find funders to help with the purchase and development of those properties.

There are already one or two ideas floating around about potential new businesses, Hartlaub said.

"We have one gentleman who wants to open a taco factory," Hartlaub said. "Everybody who sells tacos buys them from out of town. So there is talk about that being a good business locally."

Flory said she knows the importance of putting life back into the neighborhood. It would eventually bring more business to her.

"My job is fun," she said. "It's the only thing I know how to do. I'd be bad at anything else."

E-mail kaldridge@enquirer.com