Fox Hardware, a Penacook institution for decades, has changed hands again but the casual customer might not even notice.

That’s the idea, says new owner David Mitchell. He and his wife, Kim, bought the downtown store on Village Street, the building that houses it and the entire inventory, while some long-time workers are sticking around.

“We’ve got a good team together – employees that have worked here in the past, they know the people, know what people are looking for,” he said.

There is one big difference, however: It is no longer part of the Ace hardware chain. The Mitchells will be running it as an independent store rather than one affiliated with a national chain. Most towns once had their own independent hardware store, but consolidation in the industry has made such stores much less common.

The hardware store has been around in Penacook village under various owners for around a century.

“I remember coming here when I was younger,” said Mitchell, an electrician who grew up in Concord and graduated from Bishop Brady High School in 2002. “It’s got old creaky floors. Some people love that, and I do too!”

So when previous owner Ana McKenna put it for sale, he was interested.

“It’s kind of an institution – didn’t want to see someone else buy it and have it turned into apartments or demolished,” he said.

“People are very happy it is remaining a hardware store … Not much else around except a 45-minute round trip into Concord if you need something.”

Dave Mitchell is an electrician in the substation division of Eversource New Hampshire and has never owned a store. Kim Mitchell’s business background is vital to making it work, he said.

The couple bought the entire building, which was listed at almost $600,000. That includes two apartments that can be rented out. He’ll continue working for Eversource.

“We’re not looking to make any radical changes,” he said.

They have scheduled an open house on Sunday June 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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