Hamtramck Star

When we were on our way back to the house, a Cadillac pulled up and a big white guy asked me how to get to the Rattlesnake Club on "Cheney". I probably should have told him to get on the highway, but instead, I gave him directions down Joseph Campau, past Poletown to Chene. Looking at the map to the Rattlesnake Club, I see now that it's between Joseph Campau and Chene, south of Jefferson. Oh well.

I heard a rumor at the fire scene that an alarm company was working on something electrical in the building earlier today.

I just got back from taking more photos and the owner, insurance adjuster, and store manager are in the parking lot talking. The owner said that after we left last night, it got a lot worse, and then while they were boarding it up, it started smoking really bad and he had to call the fire department again. The store manager thinks they might try to reopen across the street.

>> More photos of fire and next morning.

The fire department had to put Kosinski's out again at around 2 this morning. We walked over there after shovelling, but they had pretty much wrapped things up.

What can you say? This was a huge loss for the city of Hamtramck and near by Detroiters.No one can understand the loss that is felt amongest the Kosinski family.Even though the store was sold out of the Kosinski family in the early 1990's it still held memories from the walls within.

Many may not know this but the Kosinski family lived upstairs of the store it was also thier home as well as their heritage,My grand parents raised their four children here(Irene)(Helen)(George)and my father(Chester)The Sons continued to run the family business well after the loss of their parents and turned Kosinski Hardware and Supply into the best hardware in town and then some.Several years had gone by and many awards had been received from the excellence service to the community and from the suppliers and retail company's that supplied the store.I hold today a Gold Hammer with my dads name(Chester Kosinski) for 50 years of hardware sales and service,

I know the store was not the same after Dad sold it,but it was suppose to remain the same for the fellow people of Hamtramck,again i know that did'nt hold true either,i myself could not stay there as the changes were to much of a loss not just for myself but i saw the vast changes it was going to have on the people of hamtramck it was no longer going to be that neighborhood store to get the small jar of paint that dad hand made to paint the faces of all the virgin Marys that fill the yards around Hamtramck and Detroit and it no longer was the place that you could run in with a paint chip of your bedroom wall that was 20 years old and Dad would match it to the T,it was sad to see the store sold back then,but it is a harder time to see it gone,the loss is overwhelming and shocking to say the least,after all the years never was there a fire or a problem then now as it is up for sale it burns to the ground,that is just unnerving and unsettling to myself i hope the Fire dept of Hamtramck can get to the root of this devastation and loss to not just myself and family but to all that remember Kosinski Hardware & Supply the way it was way back when,i will always remember the true store and the way in with my father ran his business and those that knew him understand my meaning.May the store rest in peace along with my fellow family members that have gone before her.

this was a sad thing to happen my family is so upset as i sit hear and think it dos not sound like a acsidend it was onpourpis yhats wate i think about this situation

this is a sad time for the kosinski family and beaing a kosinski it makes me sad that that place pernt to the ground and i will all was miss that with all my heart and i love my grandma and grampa kosinski chester kosinski was a good man and i think he is the won hew kep the kosinski family straght