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OSH is back. Sort of. There are the neighborhood-oriented stores filled with similar products and staffed by friendly, knowledgeable employees clad in green aprons. Like OSH, they are also devoid of warehouse-style racks and forklifts whizzing down narrow aisles.
There’s also a familiar green OSH logo. But if you look closely, it’s not Orchard Supply Hardware but Outdoor Supply Hardware, a new division of Memphis, Tn.-based Central Network Retail Group.
CNRG currently operates 114 stores across the country under 16 different brands, including McLendon Hardware and Parkrose Hardware in the Pacific Northwest, and Marvin’s and Home Hardware Center in the Southeast.
CNRG signed leases for 10 former Orchard Supply locations to mark its entry into California. The first, managed by Ryan O’Dell, debuted in Napa in September, soon followed by Moraga. Capitola (manager Kris Macias) opened on Jan. 6, and Berkeley (manager Ray Nielsen) on Jan. 7.
Finishing touches are being put on San Jose, which will open later this month, with Redwood City and Concord to follow.
The three remaining stores, including Redwood City, have yet to be fixtured but should be open before July 1, according to spokesperson Suzanne Schaug. She said recreating the feel of the old OSH was a primary goal.
