One thing here in Winnipeg and probably elsewhere in North America that led to the demise of the local hardware store is the suppliers not wanting to ship small orders.
Lady that had a hardware store by my place closed a few years ago and said at the time one of the reasons she was closing is she could no longer order a box or two of product from the supplier.
She now had to buy case lots and that was going to be too much money tied up in inventory that would take a long time to sell.
