BY BEN VERDE
In 1921, the free state of Ireland
was formed, Babe Ruth
broke a world record by hitting
his 138th home run, and an
unassuming hardware store
opened for business on Seventh
Avenue and Third Street
in Park Slope.
In 1929, the business moved
down the block to the corner
of Second Street, where it’s
remained ever since, serving
generations of Park Slopers’
hardware needs.
Tarzian Hardware celebrated
its 100 year anniversary
this month, marking a century
of service to the neighborhood.
Current owner and manager
John Ciferni inherited
the shop from his mother and
stepfather, who was a direct descendant
of original founders
Charlie and Marty Tarzian.
Ciferni began working fulltime
at the shop in 1996 after
dropping out of college, starting
in the stock room.
“I learned really early that
when things go wrong, whether
through natural disasters or
whatever, we do well,” he said.
A Tarzian Hardware awning of the past. Tarzian Hardware Current owner John Ciferni outside Tarzian Hardware. Photo by Ben Verde
Ciferni worked his way
up to the sales fl oor while his
mother ran the shop, but he
wasn’t sure he wanted to stay
in the business long term.
After the Sept. 11. terrorist
attacks, he enlisted in the
armed forces, which he says
instilled more trust in him
from his mother. Upon his return
home, he took over as Tarzian’s
manager.
Having a family member
to take the reins has been key
to the shop’s longevity, along
COURIER L 10 IFE, OCTOBER 15-21, 2021
with owning the building,
Ciferni said.
“It’s not easy working for a
parent,” he told Brooklyn Paper.
“A lot of businesses don’t
make it because of that, they
fall apart — they don’t have
someone they can hand it to or
they can’t get along.”
Ciferni has seen the hardware
store through some of
the toughest times to run an
independent business. Both
a Lowe’s and a Home Depot
set up shop in Gowanus in his
tenure, cutting into Tarzian’s
bottom line signifi cantly, but
nothing prepared Ciferni and
his family for the challenges
brought on by online retailers
like Amazon.
“I was always looking for
that next retailer that was going
to move in, be closer or
whatever, what’s that competition
going to be, but it turned
out it was Amazon in the end,”
he said.
Still, the shop has managed
to remain a neighborhood staple
in an ever-changing Park
Slope increasingly dominated
by national chains — something
Ciferni credits to a neighborly
spirit, his involvement
with local groups like the Park
Slope Civic Council and his
commitment to staying open
for locals through tough times
like the pandemic.
“I need to be open and be
here to provide stuff and just
try to be a good neighbor,” he
said. “And I think that honest
approach comes through.”
100 years in the Slope
Tarzian Hardware celebrates a century on Seventh Ave.