Henry West and Sons Hardware opened at the corner of Buffalo (now Martin Luther King Blvd) and Nebraska in 1933. They sold both retail and wholesale lines of goods. The store was also notable for housing the first repair shop of legendary Tampa fishing-tackle repairman Tony Diaz. In the Burgert photo, Robert’s Shoe Shop and the Samuel C. “Sam” King gas station are next door.  

Owner Henry A. West, Sr., had a strong interest in local politics and ran for the School Board in 1936. He unsuccessfully ran for the District 3 County Commissioners seat in 1944. West was a member of the draft board. It was a busy job in the middle of World War II. He passed the business down to his son, W.D. Doug West, around 1950. Henry West Sr died in 1963

Doug West later became a member of the Tampa City Council and served for 14 years. He ran for Mayor in 1967 against Dick Greco, incumbent Nick Nuccio, and several other candidates. After Dick Greco won the election, West retired from politics and focused on his business, the W.D. West Insurance Agency. He died on February 19, 1980.

Tampa Door and Tampa Bay Lock and Key now operate out of the building. King’s gas station was demolished decades ago.

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