Scene This Week In...

It can’t be much fun for Greg Hamm these days. No sooner is he ready to advance his case for the redevelopment of Town Center than his company is hit with a perfect storm of a credit crunch that threatens its very existence. Last week, at forum held by Bring Back the Vision, the first question put to him was whether The Mall in Columbia is up for sale. It is tough enough that he has to deal with the local folks who think things are just fine the way they are, he also has to deal with the uncertainty that surrounds GGP’s financial woes. The expression on his face in this photo says it all and that makes Greg this weeks’ Scene This Week in Columbia.

It is that time of year when I start shutting down the home lawn care operation. This year, that task involved removing the blade from electric lawn mower and taking it in to be sharpened. It has been awhile since I’ve had to do that and I wasn’t sure where to take it. I don’t think the chain home improvement stores provide that type of service. The old hardware stores do though and thankfully some of them still exist in Howard County.

I took my dulled blade up to Clarks Hardware on Route 40. This store still looks and smells like a hardware store. Every time I go there I find the staff to be both accessible and helpful. They sharpened my lawn mower blade on the spot for eight bucks.This really should not surprise me. Clarks Hardware has been in Howard County longer than even an old dog like me can remember. The first time I ever visited their store it was located on Maryland Avenue across the street from the train station in Ellicott City. Years later they moved to St. Johns Plaza before finally building their own new store farther up Route 40. Despite all these moves they still provide the same down home local service and for that reason they are this weeks Scene in Ellicott City.