| After
111 years, the end of an era
Longer than anyone currently alive in the Cottonwood area, Hoene Hardware has been a fixture on Main St. in Cottonwood. The business was originally opened on April 1, 1908 in a location behind where the former Cottonwood Grange Supply building is now by John Hoene who had emigrated to Idaho from Illinois several years earlier. Current owners Gus and Ann Hoene, the fourth generation of the Hoene family to own the business, came to the tough decision to close the business effective May 31, 2019. In an interview Friday, June 28, Gus said they were to the point of having to put some more capital into the business and his research on the future of a business like hit did not paint a very rosy picture. That led he and Ann to the tough decision to close the business. Now he says he has to deal with how do you close down a business? There’s precedent out there for closing a furniture store or a hardware store or an appliance store but not for a business that is each of those plus more. To that end he and Greg Nau have been spending a lot of time in the store working items at a time, checking other area businesses to see if they would buy some of their inventory. At this point, a month after officially closing the business, they have emptied out the old Farmers Store portion of the business as well as their warehouse space and have everything in the store. People are still welcome to come in and look around and see if there is something they would like to buy whenever they are in the store and the lights are on. In fact a couple of customers did just that while we were there. Gus wanted to stress that the greatest thing about doing business in Cottonwood is the people. When asked what he is going to do next, a question we’re sure has been asked of him many times already, he said he really doesn’t know. He has to get through closing out the store first. He hasn’t ruled out running a repair business but if he did he would want to do it right. That is have a shop and get certified. He doesn’t want to be one of those people that runs a repair business out of their home or the back of their truck. A history of the family business with much of this taken from a story by Imelda Wimer in 1983 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the business. John Hoene first moved out from Illinois in 1898 when he was 25. He first moved to the Greencreek area where he had relatives that had previously moved out from Illinois and helped with harvest. In 1900 he bought his first sawmill with J.B. Forsmann and later bought him out. In the meantime he had become acquainted with Susie Seubert at a Seubert family gathering. They were married Nov. 3, 1901. In 1906 he sold the sawmill to his brother Joseph and moved to the Kimberly area in southern Idaho where he farmed 160 acres. In 1907 he sold the farm and moved back to Keuterville. In April 1908 he started the Hardware store. After it burned on July 20, 1908, along with the rest of the downtown area, he sold those lots and bought several lots at the current site of Hometown Auto & Ag. He built a 16 by 80 foot shed and later a 48 by 80 foot building and started up again with hardware and building materials purchased at Spokane. Then Hoene sold some farmland where Freiville is now and bought the lots on Main Street where he planned to put up a fireproof brick building, the current Hardware building. Hoene also bought a hardware store in Winona in January, 1920. That same year he bought a hardware store in Ferdinand that burned the following year and was not rebuilt. Construction of the current brick building began in 1909 and was completed in 1912. Prior to 1912 Hoene was busy selling stoves, buggies, wagons and all types of hardware. In 1913 the Ford car contract was added with Dr. Wesley F. Orr buying the first Ford touring car. In 1915 the Buick line was added with Dr. Orr purchasing the first Buick. Other car lines were added including Chevrolet, Dodge, Overland, Mitchell Roadsters and Chrysler. The first combine sold was a Milo with an IHC engine to J. W. Arnzen in 1920. Of John and Susie’s 5 sons-Gus, Herman, Virgil, John Jr. and Ed, Gus was the one that became involved in the hardware store. He and partner John W. Seubert purchased the hardware store in 1939. The Hardware and Implement businesses were separated at that point with Herman, Virgil and John Jr. working with John Sr. in that business and built the present Hometown Auto & Ag building. Following his discharge from the Navy, Edward Hoene was the manager of John Hoene Implement until his death in 1974. John Sr. and Susie celebrated their 50th anniversary on Nov. 5, 1951 and he lived only a few weeks longer, dying in his sleep on Dec. 21, 1951. Gus was born in Keuterville in 1907. In 1931 Gus heard about a Romain girl from Montana who was substitute teaching at Icicle Flat School. Lena Romain had been born in Keuterville but her family moved to Montana when she was 4. Gus and Lena met at a dance and their friendship culminated in their marriage on Sept. 1, 1931 in Montana. In the late fall of 1932, Idaho County Sheriff Walter Altman asked John if he could hire Gus as a deputy. Since the country was in the throes of the Great Depression and there wasn’t much business, Mr. Hoene said “yes.” Gus borrowed $60 on his insurance policy to buy a suit to go to work in. His new job paid $110 a month. Gus made many friends while working for the Sheriff’s office and 2 years later when he returned to the Hardware Store they started selling to people from Riggins to Lewiston. In 1939 when Gus Hoene and John W. Seubert purchased the Hardware Store they didn’t want the Implement business as it took too much money to operate. Also up until this time the Kopczynski grocery store was in half of the current Hardware Store building. They moved out when the Kopczynskis built a new building that housed both the grocery store and City Electric. Furniture and floor coverings were added to their stock in their increased space. During World War II they had a hard time finding merchandise to sell. Seubert started in defense work and was later drafted into the Navy. After the war Seubert returned to the store to assist in its operation. He was married to Almira Primus and they built a home here for his growing family. Seubert was instrumental in increasing the furniture and appliance business. His partnership with Gus Hoene lasted for 25 years. In 1944 Gus had passed his Army physical and was told to report for induction in May. “Several farewell parties were held for me, and I had arranged to have J.F. Jenny handle the bookwork and he and Joe Sudkamp were to help Maggie Riener to keep the store open. “Two weeks before I was to be inducted, Congress passed the 36 year age limit law and I didn’t have to go,” said Gus Hoene for the 1983 article. Gus was civic-minded and served on the City Council for 13 years and 1 term as mayor. He was instrumental in seeing that Cottonwood got federal funds to build a sewer system and sidewalks. He was chairman of the drive for the new St. Mary’s Hospital and later served on the Hospital Board. Don Hoene was the next Hoene to serve as owner of the Hardware Store. He was born March 25, 1934 and went to school in Cottonwood and attended Gonzaga University in Spokane. After serving in the Army in Europe, he returned in 1957 and married Jane Uhlorn. He started working for his father and Seubert. In 1965 he and Jane bought out his father’s interest in the Store and in 1969 they bought out Seubert and became sole owners. In 1991 Don’s son Gus and his then wife Verla and Don’s daughter Debra and her husband Donn Clark returned to Cottonwood and started working with Don on a 5-year plan to buy out Don and Jane. It was also about that time that Hoene’s bought the Farmers Store from Ralph and Marie Sprute and expanded the Hardware Store. According to Gus, after all those years as the one in charge, Don found he couldn’t work for someone else and just quit back to the store in about 1993. In 2016 Gus and his current wife Ann bought out his sister and brother-in-law and became sole owners. Accompanying this article are some vintage photos that were in the Hoene vault and were scanned by Luke Hoene. 111 years in business under the ownership of just one family is an impressive feat only topped in this area by some of the Century Farms. In fact only the Chronicle has been continuously in business in Cottonwood for a longer period of time but it has had several different owners and 3 different names over its 127 year history. All things must eventually pass and we wish the Hoenes good fortune in their future endeavors. 
In the family history that Grandpa Gus wrote in the early 80s, this picture is dated at July 1, 1912. and could be opening day when John Hoene moved into the new brick store Left to right are Frank Kelsey, F. Nuxoll, Nick Allen and John Hoene. Notice the wood sidewalks. My grandpa said when he was a little kid, one of his favorite things to do was look under wood sidewalks for dropped coins. A few years later he added concrete sidewalks and gas pumps which we see by the 1915 store picture. The great Cottonwood fire was in July of 1908 after he opened the original store April 1, 1908. Why did it take John Hoene 4 years to rebuild? By the way, the newspaper article is from the Spokane paper. Well, in 1909, John’s father died and he and Susie traveled back to Illinois and moved the rest of the family out here. Also they lost another baby at 16 months old - Eleanor died in September of 1910. John says it best in his writing "John and his wife suffered many setbacks and sorrows but they were people of strong character and faith, . . ." 
This is taken on June 2, 1917. Gus Hoene, is the 9 year old boy holding the R. Bill Kelsey, brother of store manager, Frank Kelsey visiting for a few years, is on the left. Jake Welte is on the right. It may be that a 6 year old Hank Seubert is holding the U. Possibly a mix of Jennys and Seuberts and maybe a Kopcynski in here. Brighten up America! was the campaign - that's a good thing to remember every day. This picture is not in front of the store. By this time, they had the new brick building built. This may have been taken on the north side of main street across from Cottonwood Foods, possibly near where Gem Builders is now. The photo below shows the same group after they turned around. 
The old office in the back southeast corner of the store. The picture wasn't dated but, from the calendar on the wall seems to show this is from October of 1913. We see Frank Kelsey at the first desk, John Hoene in the middle, Not sure who is behind him and it may be Molly Jenny at the bookkeepers desk. The Gem clock is still there. It seems they were mostly made in 1910 and given away to stores that sold their products. Jane Hoene used to wind it every morning and according to her son Gus, it hasn’t been wound since the last time she did it. Notice the window in the north wall before the City Electric building next door was built. The holes from the stovepipe are still upstairs at the store covered with plates. 
Joe Uhlenkott's Yuba tractor driven by Joe Junior 1918. It looks like he is pulling some of those Winona Wagons from the Hoene Hardware - not sure though. Color pictures of this tractor which recently sold at auction for over $90,000 are at this link. https://www.mecum.com/lots/GN1117-309122/yuba-ball-tread-20-35-tractor/ 
A picture from the time when Grandpa Gus Hoene owned the store. This is 1945. Gus partnered with John W Seubert in the store. While he owned it, they built the loft upstairs where we displayed appliances and bedroom sets in later years. He affiliated with Marshall - Wells during these years. Don Hoene took them independent again in the 60s when he bought the business. In the 80s they still had boxes of Marshall - Wells branded Christmas decorations. You'll notice we sold Zenith - I think we had televisions. It was not unheard of for a Jenny or Seubert or Kopcynski to stop by after work and share a bottle with Grandpa in the back room. He was incredibly involved in the community and ran a good business, everyone seemed to like Gus Hoene. 
John Hoene, Frank Kelsey and Barney Seubert 1918 in the front of the store. The ladder was used to stock and get items from the top shelves.. You can still see the holes in the ceiling from where the bolts used to be for the track. 
1981 during the Buggy Whip Festival when Don Hoene owned the store. Also shows the newly built awnings on Main Street businesses giving the town an old west feel. 
Debra Clark and Jane Hoene both in the office in the back with Molly and Luke at the front register at right. 
Gus Hoene and Donn Clark in front of the store in 2006. This photo is from the Chronicle’s Meet the Business section that year. The other photos are historical photos belonging to the Hoene family. |
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