Why I Want to Work at Frager’s

Uploaded to flickr by M.V. Jantzen

When my husband and I first moved to our home on G Street our neighbor asked us what we had planned for the house, which needed a good amount of work. We rattled off a laundry list of things we planned to address —for the record only a few items have actually been checked off of that list—and he replied with a single word: Frager’s.

Frager’s is Capitol Hill’s neighborhood hardware store, which has occupied space on the 1100 block of Pennsylvania Ave SE since 1920, and it’s the kind of institution where one might go to pick up a gallon of paint, rent a popcorn machine, buy flowers or spot local politicians or national media correspondents.

And while I love to spend hours picking out paint samples and wandering the store’s narrow aisles, what brings me back to Frager’s week after week are the knowledgeable and friendly employees and the endless supply of things I didn’t even know I would need. It is my fascination with Frager’s that makes me want to spend a morning as a “guest” employee at the store, and I will do just that tomorrow, when I will shadow cashiers, walk the aisles with employees answering questions and maybe even mix a gallon or two of paint.

Look for part two of “Why I Want to Work at Frager’s” next week.