MARBLETOWN – "First I put a couple of small photos up by the popcorn machine," said Brian Murphy, owner of Marbletown Hardware, also known as 'The World's Only Rock and Roll Hardware Store.'

"Then we added a couple over there and everyone loved it."

That was in 1994 and Brian had just bought the store from his partners. At the time, he says, the hardware business was largely contractor-oriented, pretty much a male-only community, and unfriendly to outsiders. Brian wanted to change that. Hardware therapy he calls it.

"Two guys would come in," he said. "One would be into the hardware thing and the other would be bored out of his tree. So, I added the rock 'n' roll pictures for him. Hardware therapy."

At the time, many believed women wouldn't dream of entering a male-dominated hardware store. To smash that barrier Brian adjusted his staff, which at times became all women.

"Women customers were only coming in shyly," said Brian. "So, we worked on that taboo and word got out that we were very friendly. And helpful. Anyone who came in had their projects carefully considered and questions answered. No barriers."

It was real fun running the store that way he said, stressing hardware therapy, again. "It worked out really well. We got well known. This picture for example," Brian said holding a photo of Jimi Hendrix dressed as a cowboy on a horse with two others, "was found in a Mohonk attic and someone said, 'Take it to the guy in the hardware store.'"

Brian began collecting rock 'n' roll memorabilia when he was a teen in the city. "Back then my girlfriend's mother worked in a TSS store, in a great music, rock 'n' roll, department. What, I asked her, do you do with the music displays when they're replaced? Instead of tossing them, she began to give them to me. Even after I moved up here she continued to send them to me."

Brian's rock 'n' roll collection grew and grew, all without purchasing anything. In the 1980s he teamed up with fellow collector Ned Moran to decorate the walls of Uncle Willy's, a nightclub on Broadway in Kingston, operated by Ned and Willy Guldy. Today, Ned's Avalon Archives collection of rock and roll art is permanently displayed at The Falcon Underground, in Marlboro.

"Ned and I worked together," said Brian. "The National Theatre would call us and ask us to decorate their hallways for a show and we'd go, 'Sure'..."

Ned, said Brian, lives near Carmel, a conservative stronghold. "But the surrounding hills are full of ex-rockers and rocker photographers. We'd approach them and say, that was a terrific photo you had in Life magazine of the Rolling Stones, but what happened to the rest of the roll from the shoot?"

"They'd show us incredible behind the scenes shots. We printed and framed them, then exhibited them in the cultural center/restaurant in the old Rondout synagogue. It was the only time we sold photos and the money went to the old guys, who were amazed: $5,000 for never before seen end-of-roll photographs!"

Brian and Ned also got prints which were exhibited in the hardware store and Ned's floating collection.

One Carmel photographer had publicity shots for the John Lennon-Yoko Ono album, Double Fantasy. As Lennon was killed within a few weeks of the album's release the shots were never used and the subjects never got to see them. "I had a few of these up on the wall in Marbletown," said Brian, "including one of the album's bass player, Tony Levin. Levin lives in Woodstock and someone told him we had a shot of him with Lennon. He came down and was thrilled. We got him some prints and he autographed some of our prints. " Everyone's a winner.

Over all, Brian thinks being independent has worked out well. "I guess I'm a Deadhead," he said. "They and Hot Tuna are the boys that set us free. I put up a peace sign of lights every Christmas. This year as I was taking the sign down after the holidays someone said to leave them up as we all need a little peace in this world. So, I left them up."

Think of that next time you drive past Marbletown Hardware, 'The Only Rock and Roll Hardware Store in the World' and see the peace sign lights: We all need a little peace...