The original building located at 4 Holland St. West (on the southwest corner of Holland and Simcoe Streets) was built in the 1840’s and was situated on land originally owned by James Drury. He was one of the early immigrants who reached Upper Canada. Drury rented the corner lot to Thomas Driffill (a blacksmith), who opened a hardware store at that location. The lot was later sold to Robert Cooke, who leased the property to Driffill for another 20 years. Thomas Driffill became the village of Bradford’s first reeve when it was incorporated in 1857. The great fire of 1871 destroyed all but the building’s foundation. It was rebuilt incorporating the intact, old vault and locally-made bricks. Thomas Driffill bought the building in 1885, eventually retired, and left the business to his sons, Joseph and James, who eventually sold it to Andrew Thompson, Driffill's partner. It became Thompson's Hardware. A series of different owners and different types of enterprises followed. William Barron bought the building in 1946 and relocated his hardware business to this site. He made several renovations, including adding a new stone façade, new plate glass windows, and an elevator to facilitate deliveries to the tinsmithing shop upstairs. He retired and left the business to his son Norman. The building later became a motorcycle shop, and eventually, for several years, the Winchester Arms Restaurant. (1, 2, 4, “Four Holland Street West: A Short History” by Lorraine Philip - Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library, Local History Collection).

This building is located at 26 Holland St. West. H.F.S. Gardner, his wife Bertha, and children Tom and Ada (who was in a wheelchair) moved from Newmarket to this area in 1920. They opened a combination general and hardware store that sold clothing, boots, shoes, paints, tools, coal, oil, etc. The business used all the available space in the building, including the two floors and the basement. The family lived on Simcoe St. in a house owned by Miss Hill. (1, 2)

A page of Bradford business ads from 1933. Includes: Willson's Men's Wear Store, Nolan Motor Sales, Wm. Semenuk Electrical - Plumbing, Douglas Hardware, Bradford Flour Mills, L. J. McConkey & Son Supplies, Sutton's Hardware, Colly's Smoke Shop, Campbell's Drug Store, The Mercantile Co., Harry Barron Plumbing - Tinsmithing - Electrical, Melbourne Transport Service, Bradford Witness Print Services. Ads appeared in the March 1, 1933 issue of the Bradford Witness.

An ad for Gardner’s store in Bradford, c. 1933. Appeared in the Bradford Witness.

An ad for Gardner’s Store in Bradford with a list of prices for various supplies, c. 1933. Appeared in the Bradford Witness.

Two ads for Bradford businesses, including H.R. Douglas and McKinstry’s Garage, c. 1933.

Three ads for Bradford businesses, including Graham’s Meat Market, Gardner’s Store and Kilkenny’s Furniture Store, c. 1934.

An account bill made out to the Bradford Lawn Bowling Club by Robert Neilly for hardware, dated December 31st, 1914.

An account bill made out to the Bradford Lawn Bowling Club by Moore Bros. Goods Store, dated May 14th, 1913. Paid May 15th, 1913.

Hardware store owned by Alonzo Feaver in Bond Head.