Don't Make 'em Like They Used To

Like an old pair of shoes, there is something to be said for your favorite tool. I didn't realize there was a business in catering to the obsession, though. Makes sense.

Approaching the front door of Liberty Tool through the cluttered porch, a chalked notice on slate seeks to reassure customers that the inventory won't run dry: "New load of tools every Sat."

Partitioned wooden boxes hold metal punches, tiny files, drill bits and different kinds of saw blades. Larger bins bulge with tin snips, channel locks, chisels, pipe cutters and drill bits. A soda box holds screwdrivers of various styles and sizes.

A rack holds scads of hammers and an even larger rack holds time-tested sledges, mauls and crow bars. There are squares and wooden levels, and some of the windows are shaded by the ample supply of antique buck saws.

Me, I can't find a hammer when I want one. Odds are if I find one, it will be an antique just from having been hidden away for so long.