Phillip Hardware Store

Right on Main Street in the heart of downtown Hays, the old George Philip Hardware building has an amazingly preserved limestone storefront. The two-story building goes back to 1874 and has worn a lot of hats over the years, serving as a dry goods store, a federal land office where early homestead claims were filed, a newspaper office, and then the George Philip hardware store for most of the next century. It is built from native limestone and the hand-painted hardware sign still spanning the storefront adds real story of old main street history. Shooting it straight on lets you play up the symmetry of the front, with its tall upper windows and lettering across the middle. The stone takes light beautifully, so warm early or late sun will make the whole exterior glow. The brick streets of this part of downtown give you good foreground and a layer of contrast if you step back for a wider streetscape. One thing to watch out for is reflections in the big display windows, so a slight angle or softer light helps if the glass seems to be fighting against you. The building is an active shop now, so you can only photograph the outside from the public sidewalk unless you have permission from the current owners. (Hays, Kansas, USA)