In front of you, you’ll spot a row of charming two-story brick buildings with tall, arched windows and elegant decorative trim lining the tops-just look for the reddish-brick façade with large glass storefronts and a touch of vintage style.
Welcome to 104-128 South Side Square, a strip of buildings that has seen Huntsville’s wild and wonderful story unfold right along this sidewalk. Back in the 1800s, this was known as Commercial Row-imagine shopkeepers hawking their wares, kids dodging horse-drawn carts, and rumors swirling faster than sweet tea in July. The oldest of this bunch, numbers 108 and 110, actually started as a store for the Bell Factory textile mill before the Civil War! And don’t be fooled by their modern faces-both have had makeovers more dramatic than a reality TV show. Now, if you’re wondering which one is the most stylish, that’d be the Italianate beauties built in the 1880s. But number 118 had quite the close call, catching fire in 1901 and coming back a bit plainer but definitely tougher. And tucked into 124 and 126 is the Harrison Brothers hardware store-so old-school it’s practically historical fiction, first opening in 1897 and run now by the Historic Huntsville Foundation. Restored, remodeled, and carefully preserved, this is a patchwork quilt of Huntsville’s downtown spirit-where each brick tells a bit more of the tale. Now, who’s ready for a hardware store with more history than most families?
