Bartunek Hardware

In the window of Bartunek Hardware, an electric train goes around in circles, running alongside the Mets and Yankees caps, which are on a shelf above an electric drill and the neon “locksmith” sign.

Sometimes, children stand outside to watch the train. If it is not turned on, they will peek in the front door and ask Gary Bartunek, the owner, or his son, Daniel, to flip the switch. And they always do.

Established in 1925, Bartunek is the oldest hardware store in Astoria, Queens.

Straus Paint & Hardware on Steinway Street dates to 1930, and D. V. Locksmith & Hardware on 30th Avenue, to 1953. But neither has a toy locomotive pulling a 50-year-old livestock car in its window.

Bartunek’s 1,000-square-foot space retains much of the ambience it had 92 years ago, when Calvin Coolidge was president. The tin ceiling is original; the wood and metal drawers behind the counter have been there since Day 1.