Founder of Lynn’s Beden Hardware dies

LYNN – Anybody familiar with downtown Lynn knows Beden Hardware by its unique exterior sign, a shingle hanging above the sidewalk, the image of a hammer jigged out of the wood.Beden Hardware is more than just a store. It’s a landmark – an old-fashioned establishment offering both service and supplies for the past 56 years on Munroe Street.On Sunday, its founder, Charlie Beden of Swampscott, passed away. He was 97. For nearly as long as anyone can remember, he was a fixture at the store, working part time for another decade after selling the place to brothers John and Eric Ciccone, the current owners.Beden worked at the store until he was 85, behind the counter and in the aisles, still keen to the location of every screw and bolt, tool and cleanser and can of paint. In a 2007 interview, he recalled the blizzard of ’78 and how he had the foresight to stock up on snow-removal equipment – snowblowers, shovels, rock salt. When the storm arrived, he sat back as the customers arrived in droves, content that he had made a sound business decision. It was a gratifying moment.Beden once described his more than half century at the store as “a great ride,” often toiling seven days a week, dawn ’til dark. He often ate a banana for lunch in the back room rather than go out to a restaurant because he wanted to be available should anyone call the store with an order. It was all about the customers and Beden assured them they would be in good hands with the new owners.In the years that preceded opening the hardware store, Beden was employed by GE and then at North Shore Hardware in downtown Lynn. The desire to work for himself required a massive leap of faith – but it paid off.Unlike large department stores with a household goods or tool aisle, Beden Hardware remains the kind of business where it’s still possible to ask a question of the help and receive a knowledgeable answer. There’s no need to purchase a package of 50 screws when you only need two – and with those you will likely get some advice about the best way to use them. The shelves are brimming with power and hand tools, paints and solvents, lawn care and cleaning products, brooms, picks, rakes and shovels.Although Charlie Beden is gone, the hardware store that bears his name continues to be just that – a hardware store.