Bruno's is a venerable institution in my neighborhood. Beloved by many, including me, and hated by others. Bruno's is truly one of these places where, if they don't have it, you probably don't need it. And it is a happy clutter that almost makes it mandatory to ask someone where something is located. But, for goodness sake's, don't ask Bruno. Well, you can't now, he is dead.
Bruno is probably why most people who don't like Bruno's Hardware don't like it. Bruno looked like he should be walking out of a biker bar at four in the morning. And, he did have a bike, a Harley. Of course he also had a Mercedes Benz. He wore a dirty old black cowboy hat, cowboy boots, jeans, and, usually, a plaid shirt. He communicated basically through a series of grunts. Usually he just ignored you if he passed you on the street. I made a point of always saying "Hello" to him and, after about a year, I got him to grunt in reply.
This was Bruno's when I first moved into the neighborhood.
You can see that it looks as though he has already expanded once, or bought the two buildings at the same time. Oh yes, Bruno buys, not leases.
Then, sometime after I moved into the neighborhood Bruno bought out Blarney Rose. He didn't do anything with it for a few years, but then he opened his second location on the same block.
Aside from the bank on the corner, this pretty much gave Bruno the whole block.
He is still missing this place in the middle and there have always been rumors about how much he wanted to buy it.
After Bruno passed away I think the stores have passed to his son and daughter so, hopefully, the tradition will continue. It does look like they are going to be doing something with one of their buildings though, the one on the corner of Schermerhorn and Court.
Well, I hope this clears up the confusion, on my part, about what happened to Blarney Rose.
