The Brandinos have made connections with everyone in the industry over the years. “It’s a good place to get high-end, quality hardware.” “They are knowledgeable salespeople,” Best said. They take care of everything from a starter home to someone with an architect, a designer, a builder and more.Īnn Best, an interior designer with Henry Sprott Long & Associates, has worked with Brandino Brass on projects. “The 25 to 35-year-old crew really didn’t know about us, which was a good thing, too.”īuster said he believes their full service business and variety of prices and quality is better than big box companies like Home Depot and Lowe’s. The name was still good in the marketplace,” Buster said. “I think the most gratifying thing when we re-opened was that people still recognized us. “Working with Eric has been challenging and a lot of fun, but very rewarding.”īuster and Eric were not sure how everything would play out, but marketing and targeting a new crowd have them ready to expand. The father-son relationship has added a fun aspect to the job, Buster said. “We started small, but we did everything to the best of our ability.” “We followed through with his expertise,” Buster said. The father and son both said they wanted to continue with Tony’s business mindset. “I was very leery about it because of the economic situation.” Tony always liked this area, and it was good for retail,” Eric said.īuster said he knew the space was too small, but the business needed time to grow. They first opened in Hoover but moved to Homewood a few months later. It’s time to expand.”Īfter Tony retired, Buster and Eric re-established Brandino Brass in Birmingham in 2009. “We will now have almost double the space. “It will be a more functional business,” said Owner Buster Brandino, Tony’s son and Eric’s father. And, if that’s not enough, business plans to expand its shop in the coming months to include more lighting and smaller items. The room overflows with door hardware, cabinetry hardware, kitchen and bath accessories and light fixtures. “He was so passionate.”Ī vibrant array of brasses, bronzes and silvers lines the walls of the Brandino Brass showroom. “We practice what he did everyday,” said Eric. The store still sees customers come in whose parents and grandparents worked with Tony over the years. Tony, an avid University of Alabama fan who attended 500 consecutive football games, worked closely with Birmingham’s architects and designers as well as generations of homeowners. “He loved to sell and take care of people, and he treated all of his employees and customers like family,” said Tony’s grandson, Eric. Tony Brandino, who passed away in May at age 96, started the business in 1948. Photo by Craig Kleimeyer.īrandino Brass doesn’t have their own brand, but the 63-year-old business has become so synonymous with hardware in Birmingham that people come into the store requesting it. Eric Brandino and his dad, Buster, re-established their family business, Brandino Brass, in Homewood in 2009.
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