AUSABLE FORKS — Nearly 800 people have shown their support for a hardware store since Aubuchon Hardware abruptly closed in December 2008.

For a few weeks now, signatures have been piling onto a petition circulated by Bryan Deyoe and Joe Labombard, who hope to open their own store here.

“In the first day, we had 600,” Deyoe said.

Within a week, it had grown to more than 700 signatures.

Without a hardware store, residents have to travel to Jay, Keeseville, Peru or Lake Placid — drive of anywhere from six to 25 miles — just for simple necessities.

“As a small community, there is no place to go,” said Charles “Chuck” Deyoe, owner of ANCO Heating Services, based in AuSable Forks. “We used to go Aubuchon for all our furnace parts.”

When he had a surplus, he’d also provide supplies for other contractors who might run low during a job.

Now he has to buy more supplies himself, just to save time and money.

“You can’t drive into Peru just for a $2 part,” Deyoe said.

Contractors aren’t the only ones missing a local hardware store.

“It’s sort of the heartbeat of a town,” said Susan Pulitzer, chairwoman of AuSable Forks Revitalization Group.

The small community hasn’t been without a hardware store for more than 30 years.

Not since Aubuchon Hardware came into town 35 years ago, putting a hardware store owned by Deyoe’s father out of business.

“A hardware store is direly needed in the town,” Jay Town Supervisor Randy Douglas said.

“We, the town, had used Aubuchon Hardware on a daily basis. We’d stop by there for the nuts and bolts, you know, small stuff.”