Clara Hayes, a cherished Bedford-Stuyvesant resident and long-time owner of Macon Hardware, was honored with a street co-naming on May 24, where the corner of Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Macon Street was renamed Mrs. Clara Hayes Way. Despite passing in 2022, her legacy continues as many community members gathered to celebrate her contribution. Renowned for transforming her hardware store into a community refuge, Hayes was deeply loved, with friends and family recalling her dedication and kindness, especially during the pandemic when she provided support to those in need.
They were wonderful neighbors and friends to the community, an institution that came and started a business and grew it, and served the community well.
Because the store was here, she spent most of the time in Bed-Stuy. She knew everybody here more than she did the people in the neighborhood we lived in.
I watched my mother take care of the people that were sick in the neighborhood, get up early in the morning, late in the evening sometimes just to cook food for them.
They had everything (in the store.)
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