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Brown’s Hardware, a Falls Church landmark that has occupied the corner of Broad and Washington streets since 1883, is expected to close by April 1 following the sale of its property.

The impending loss of the city’s oldest business has prompted widespread sadness in Falls Church, where generations of residents have relied on the store at 100 W. Broad St.

James W. Brown opened Brown’s Groceries and Hardware during the Gilded Age, when customers commonly traveled by horse and carriage or on foot. More than 140 years later, the store remains near the park honoring the Brown family.

The property sale is scheduled for April 1, with the hardware store expected to shut its doors at the end of March. The buyer and plans for the prominent corner have not been publicly disclosed.

John Taylor owns the Brown’s Hardware name and business, but the land, building and parking lot are held in a family trust. Hugh Rose Brown, the third generation to own and operate the store, died on Nov. 5, 2018, without children. He left the business to Taylor, his longtime store manager, while the property went to heirs including Charles Brown of Augusta, Georgia, and cousins along the East Coast.

Taylor said a property sale had always been possible under that arrangement. He does not know what will replace the store, though he anticipates the interior could be gutted and offered under a five- to 10-year lease, potentially to a restaurant.

Falls Church assessed the property at $1,322,400 in 2024, although the final sale price could be considerably higher.

Taylor has no plans to reopen Brown’s Hardware elsewhere, despite efforts by some city representatives to encourage a relocation. He also intends to retire.

Mayor Says Massive Redevelopment Is Not Planned

Mayor Letty Hardi called Brown’s an iconic part of Falls Church and said the city is sad to lose it. She stressed, however, that the sale is a private transaction and wished Taylor well in retirement.

Hardi also sought to reassure residents concerned about the corner’s future. She said the city’s Comprehensive Plan and Small Area Plans envision low-density retail there rather than a major redevelopment.

Although development is underway elsewhere in Falls Church, Hardi said the city benefits from a mixture of uses, building sizes, heights and densities. City officials are not aware of plans to assemble nearby properties or redevelop the corner on a large scale, she said.

“Nobody wants, and none of the planning documents call for, eight stories up and down Broad Street,” Hardi said.

Maintaining buildings of different sizes can help accommodate independent businesses, she added. Older commercial spaces are often more affordable and contribute to the character that distinguishes Falls Church.

Hardi urged residents to support local merchants, noting that Brown’s survived for more than a century despite competition from big-box retailers and online shopping.

“More important than ever is to shop local,” she said, encouraging residents to consider where they spend their money and to vote with their wallets.

The mayor said she will personally miss having a convenient hardware store downtown. She had planned to walk from City Hall to Brown’s to buy a replacement toilet flapper rather than travel to Seven Corners or Merrifield.

Hardi said she hopes another hardware store eventually opens in Falls Church because such products meet an everyday need for residents.

City staff know about transactions involving 100 W. Broad St., Hardi confirmed, but details remain confidential.