Thomas Jefferson Marris opened up what is now a Collierville hardware store way back in 1866. He then sold it to his daughter, Mary Rebecca Morris McGinnis, and son-in-law, Wiley Washington McGinnis.

McGinnis Hardware and Lumber has a storied history that will come to an end just before Christmas, another victim of the big box hardware stores.

Their loyal customers have been coming in buying as much of the remaining inventory as they can, some even buying items they don't really need now.

"What can you do?" asks customer Gale Brewer. "I come in here to help these guys out, try and keep them from going out of business but don't know what it would take to revive this little store."

The owners say the rent has gone up to the point that they just can't make it work anymore. As the Collierville town square has grown in popularity, the price of real estate has gone up.

It is sad that a business that withstood World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and burning to the ground could not keep going in today's economy.