Larry and Allison Handren in their new store.

People have been so anxious to check out Portsmouth's new hardware store that they have constantly been walking in during construction, said owner Larry Handren. And this afternoon, at his wife Allison's suggestion, he put the long-awaited "Come in, we're open" sign in the door.

"I was here until about 2 this morning," said Handren, "And about noon today, we looked around and said, okay, let's open."

There was not a lot of fanfare today — Handren said there will be a grand opening celebration to come — but the "soft opening" seemed to be going well, with a handful of shoppers looking around, and everyone thanking the owners for ending Portsmouth's long dry spell without a hardware store.

"They were very excited about it at Town Hall," said Handren. "When we went in to tell them our plans [building inspector] George Medeiros got down on his knees to say thanks."

The store interior has a homey, New England design done by the Handrens, and feels very much like the local mom-and-pop it is. "We thought about calling it Patriot Hardware," said Handren, explaining that he hadn't really wanted to use his name, "But my wife, Allison, said to look at all the other long-time local businesses — Clements, Allen's, Moriarty's — so we put the name above the door."

There is a great selection of paint, and a wide range of average homeowner (as opposed to contractor) hardware. I stopped in today for a couple of sheetrock patches and some flourescent tubes for the basement, which would have previously required a drive to Humphreys or Home Depot. There's also a lawn and garden section, basic plumbing supplies, and an excellent selection of screws and fasteners. The product mix is something they'll be keeping an eye on, said Handren. "I'm sure we'll be fine-tuning it."

Much of the stock, said Handren, is supplied by Do it Best, a purchasing collective representing over 4,000 independently owned hardware stores. The size of Do it Best means that local stores can offer prices competitive with the big chains, Handren said, while still retaining their independence. "It's not a franchise," said Handren. "I sell Do it Best paint, but if I wanted to sell 'Joe's Paint,' I could do that too."

On behalf of all the DIYers in town, let's have a big thank you to the Handren family. I know where I'll be shopping while Jack's in his karate lessons at Ernie's.

Handren's Hardware is located in the plaza with Dunkin Donuts at 3001 East Main Road and the phone is 293-5290. Web site is HandrensHardware.com.