Harrison Brothers Hardware

On Southside Square in downtown Huntsville, Harrison Brothers Hardware has occupied the same landmark building since 1897, making it the oldest continuously operating hardware store in Alabama. The building itself dates to 1901, and much of its original character survives: the counters, shelving, cabinetry, and flooring are original, and a 1907 National Cash Register still sits on the sales floor as a working piece of the store’s history rather than a museum display behind glass.

The store is owned and operated by the Historic Huntsville Foundation as part of its broader preservation mission, which explains why the building has been maintained so carefully rather than modernized. What was once purely a hardware store has evolved into something closer to a general store for gifts and local goods, carrying art and pottery, jewelry, gourmet foods and soaps, books, housewares, and children’s toys, a mix that keeps the shop relevant to modern shoppers while the building around them stays firmly rooted in the nineteenth century.

A section of the store operates as The Gallery at Harrison Brothers, featuring local and regional arts and fine crafts, including painting, textiles, and carved wood, so shoppers looking for a handmade gift or a piece of Huntsville-made art have a dedicated area to browse alongside the more general merchandise. The combination of old hardware store fixtures and contemporary local art gives the shop a character that is hard to find in a newer retail space, and it means a single visit can turn up both a jar of local honey and a piece of regional folk art.

The building also houses the Historic Huntsville Museum, the only museum in North Alabama listed by the National Park Service to the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network. Its rotating exhibitions have covered the roles Black and white entrepreneurs played in shaping Huntsville and Alabama commerce in the late 1800s and early 1900s, giving visitors a genuine local history stop alongside the retail floor, one that requires no separate admission or appointment beyond simply walking in during store hours.

Harrison Brothers sits directly on Southside Square, part of Huntsville’s historic downtown courthouse square, an easily walkable area with restaurants, shops, and green space nearby. The location makes it a natural stop for visitors already exploring downtown Huntsville on foot, whether or not a hardware purchase is on the agenda, and it has been recognized locally for that role, having been voted Best Downtown Huntsville Retail Establishment.

The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Sundays, though it keeps extended hours on Greene Street Market nights, held on the first Thursday in May through the last Thursday in October, giving evening market visitors a chance to browse the store after typical closing time. In 2026, the Alabama Historical Commission awarded the building a $75,000 grant toward electrical and HVAC upgrades, an investment aimed at keeping the aging structure sound for another century of use.

Because inventory blends practical goods, gifts, and locally made art, the store rewards a slower browse rather than a quick in-and-out errand, particularly for visitors interested in the building’s history alongside what is for sale. Few retail spaces in Huntsville combine a working store, a fine art gallery, and a small museum under one roof, and that combination is what sets Harrison Brothers Hardware apart from a typical gift shop on the square.

Visitors can reach the store at 256-536-3631 or toll-free at 866-533-3631, a detail that matters for out-of-town shoppers or gift-givers calling ahead to check on a specific piece from The Gallery before making the trip downtown. Because the Historic Huntsville Foundation runs the property as part of its preservation mission rather than as a standalone retail business, proceeds from the store support the foundation’s broader work protecting historic buildings across the city, giving a purchase here a purpose beyond the item itself.

Downtown visitors combining a stop at Harrison Brothers with the rest of Southside Square can easily fold in a coffee shop, a restaurant, or the courthouse lawn into the same afternoon, since the square is compact enough to cover on foot in a single outing.