Charles Street Supply was among 30 longstanding, independent businesses citywide recognized by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity for contributing to the fabric of their respective neighborhoods during the city’s second annual Legacy Business Award Reception on Tuesday, June 4, at Calderwood Pavilion in the South End.
Jack Gurnon, owner of Charles
Street Supply at 54 Charles St.,
which was awarded one of the
city’s Legacy Awards.
“I’m pretty pumped, especially since it’s only the second year [for the awards], and it shows how important small businesses are to the neighborhoods and communities,” said Jack Gurnon, the second-generation owner of the hardware store at 54 Charles St., hours ahead of the ceremony. “It’s important for small businesses to be part of their neighborhoods…and to see the same faces, and to be someone friendly and someone they can rely on. It’s how life is supposed to be.”
Gurnon thanked the neighborhood for faithfully and continually shopping at Charles Street Supply (which was established in 1948) for more than 75 years now.
“It’s not just a job for me,” he said. “I wake up every day, and I’m thrilled to go to work, to make someone happy, and I make myself happy.”
Charles Street Supply was the only Legacy Business in Beacon Hill this year, out of a total of 1,500 nominations and 65 businesses invited to apply for the award.
Last year, Beacon Hill Cleaners was the only business from the neighborhood (again out of a total of 30 winners) recognized during the city’s inaugural Legacy Business Award Reception.
“A ‘Legacy Business’ is defined as those businesses that are long standing, independent enterprises that make a strong contribution to community character. These businesses are cultural anchors and repositories of community traditions and stories,” according to the City of Boston’s website.