Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy Honors Clara Hayes With Street Co-Naming

Clara Hayes, a beloved Bedford-Stuyvesant resident and businesswoman, was honored with a street co-naming on May 24, when the corner of Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Macon Street was renamed Mrs. Clara Hayes Way. 

Haynes, who passed away in 2022, was the owner of Macon Hardware, at 339 Macon St., for over 60 years. Hayes was well-loved by the community for turning her store into a refuge for the community. 

The ceremony brought out a loving audience of Brooklynites who were all touched by Hayes. Annette Robinson, a former New York City Council Member and State Assemblymember, said she had known Hayes and the extended family for over 60 years.

“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," Robinson said. "They had everything (in the store.)"

As DJ High Fashion played throwback tunes from the 1980s and 90s, Warren Hayes said his lasting memories of his mother would include "how much she loved the people that are in this community.”

Despite having moved to Canarsie at one point, Hayes was deeply devoted to Bed-Stuy. 

“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," Warren Hayes said.

During the COVID-10 pandemic, there were times Warren Hayes would see his mother cry because she wasn't allowed to open the store.

"She wanted to be here so bad to make sure her people were okay," he said. "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.”

The street sign unveiling was led by City Council Member Chi Ossé, who passed the microphone to multiple community members to share their memories. Community members reminisced how the store also had a five-and-dime section that diversified the product offering beyond hardware staples.

Gerald Wilson, the grandson of Hayes, said many business owners can learn from his grandmother's legacy.

"Business owners should support the community, especially with people that look like us. This is a Black community. I know it's changing, but let's remember the essence of the community and culture," he said.

His grandmother's motto was kindness to others, Wilson added.

"It was helping, cooking goods, Monday to Saturday being here for the people, so when you open a business here, it's a community business. It's not a Target, it's not a Walmart, it's not a big box company. It's a store that has to serve the community," he said.