(Pictured: Jimmy, Paula, and Jim Orlandini)
After over a year of failed hopes and uncertainty -- not to mention a bus crashing into the front of the store -- Altadena Hardware will remain open with new owners: Altadena residents seasoned by a lifetime in the hardware business.
Jim and Paula Orlandini took over Altadena Hardware from owner Don Thomas and his family on July 10. The Orlandinis also own Newland Hardware in El Sereno, which has been in the family since the mid-1960's. They have been Altadena residents since 1985.
Their plans for the store include a combination of old and new. Says Jim and Paula's son Jimmy, manager of the store: "We don't want to take away from the old fashioned look." Paula Orlandini, who will also serve as bookkeeper for the store, calls it "modernization, but with old world flair."
Jimmy Orlandini said that their plans include a thorough restocking of inventory, updating the displays, and freshening up the well-worn interior while keeping its small-town-hardware-store look.
