May 09, 2025
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Marseilles’ oldest continuous family-owned business plans to close

‘They’ve been around as long as I can remember,’ mayor says of business that’s for sale

By Stephanie Jaquins
Gleason’s Hardware in Marseilles

After three generations of ownership, Gleason’s Hardware and Company in Marseilles is selling the last of its inventory with plans to close later this year. (Photo provided by Michelle Schaefer)

After three generations of ownership, Gleason’s Hardware and Co. in Marseilles is selling the last of its inventory with plans to close later this year.

“We’ve been in business so long, and it’s just kind of a fixture in our town,” said Michelle Schaefer of the hardware store at 385 Main St., Marseilles. “I know people are going to miss it. It’s been very hard for us, too, trying to navigate the emotions and not having our customers anymore. That’s been the hard part [since the closure was announced].”

Marseilles Mayor Jim Hollenbeck said the store’s closing will be a sad day for the city.

“They’ve been around as long as I can remember,” Hollenbeck said. “I can remember going in there with my parents when I was a little kid. It’s very unfortunate.”

The oldest continuous family-owned business in Marseilles was opened by Schaefer’s grandfather, Willard Gleason, who was a Nabisco Brands tool-and-die maker.

“Willard was very customer-friendly,” Hollenbeck recalled. “If you didn’t have the money, he’d let you put it on an account and pay a few dollars every month. He was a great man.”

Born in 1904, Gleason never retired, working at the store until his death in 1982. The store has continued to be run by his family. Schaefer, the office manager, has worked at Gleason’s for 43 years, and her brother, Brent Schaefer, has been there for 52 years.

Gleason had three daughters, Gloria, Dea and Michelle’s mother, Billie, who has owned the store for about 40 years and remained working at the store until about five years ago.

“I got to be with my mom every day. Working with family had its trial and tribulations, but I’ve had some wonderful memories with her,” Michelle Schaefer said. “It’s been a bonding experience.”

The business is for sale, Michelle Schaefer said, and those interested should call the store at 815-795-5541. The remaining inventory is for sale, which includes electrical, plumbing and paint supplies, fasteners, nuts, bolts and screws, among other items.

The business began in 1929 as a one-room business Willard operated in his spare time, according to the “Main Street and More 1825-2010 Marseilles Quartoseptcentennial” publication published in 2010.

The 1946 staff of Gleason’s Hardware and Company in Marseilles included (from left) Bill Smith, Ronnie Lettsome, Willard Gleason, Carl Wolf, Ed Gaffney, George Mason and Ed Fisher. Mason, who submitted the photo, was a high school senior in 1946 working part time at the store. There’s also a picture of the family I sent to Scott.

The 1946 staff of Gleason’s Hardware and Company in Marseilles included (from left) Bill Smith, Ronnie Lettsome, Willard Gleason, Carl Wolf, Ed Gaffney, George Mason and Ed Fisher. Mason, who submitted the photo, was a high school senior in 1946 working part time at the store. There’s also a picture of the family I sent to Scott. (Photo provided by George Mason)

Willard began in a little shop behind his home on Clark Street, where he made cabinets, knick-knack shelves, wooden breakfast sets and floor lamps. The business later moved into a room in the back of Bernard’s Midwest Supermarkets, where he displayed his merchandise.

He later quit Nabisco to pursue his passion and bought the adjoining building and expanded the store. He followed with the purchase of a second building for additional expansion and storage. Gleason’s carried a wide variety of items over the years and became known for carrying hard-to-find items.

In March 1973, a fire broke out in the store and almost burned the entire complex. Three buildings were saved from the flames along with storage space, and they are the metal structure that make up the retail store today.

The family also built three apartments over the store. In December 2007, the three furnished apartments caught fire and were destroyed. Also, the lower left half of the store that contained inventory was in ruins from water damage. The family cleaned and remodeled and today has two apartments above the store.