Cumberland Hardware, a longtime fixture in East Nashville's Five Points neighborhood, says a parking mess on its doorstep is choking off the quick-stop customers that have kept the shop alive for generations. With free parking vanishing and short-term meters routinely tied up all day, the owners say the squeeze could eventually shut them down.
Speaking with NewsChannel 5, owner John Varallo did not sugarcoat it. "It'll probably put us out eventually," he warned. Varallo told the station that his family has run the store for 42 years and that a hardware business has operated on that corner for more than a century.
Varallo also told NewsChannel 5 that the one-hour spaces right out front, meant for quick in-and-out errands, are often not enforced. Employees from nearby spots and other all-day parkers regularly camp out in those prime spaces, he said, leaving do-it-yourselfers to circle the block or haul heavy tools from far-flung spots. A fast $2 purchase, he added, can suddenly feel like a $10 trip once short-term parking fees are tacked on.
A Five Points fixture
The Varallos say they want to keep the doors open, and neighbors routinely describe Cumberland Hardware as a neighborhood staple that anchors the area as development ramps up around it. According to the Better Business Bureau listing for Cumberland Hardware, the company lists "Years in Business" as 42, underscoring just how long the shop has served East Nashville.
Neighbors step up
To keep spaces open for customers, the owners say they already park several blocks away and have asked nearby residents and workers to be mindful of the one-hour stalls so folks can run in for quick errands. A short community segment aggregated by WKRN via Yahoo highlights neighbors rallying to keep the store accessible as the parking crunch tightens.
For now, Cumberland Hardware is hanging on, leaning on loyal regulars and more than four decades of history in Five Points. But without tougher enforcement of those one-hour spots or some form of parking relief, the owners say this East Nashville staple could eventually be squeezed out as the city keeps booming around it.
