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The way my dad's hardware store smelled changed completely in about five years
I grew up in the back of Singh's Hardware in Fresno, and for decades the air had this specific mix: sawdust from the lumber aisle, the sharp tang of metal from the bins of nails, and the oily smell of new tools. It was a real, working smell. Then around 2018, it started to fade. The big change was switching almost all our paint to low-VOC formulas. The new stuff has almost no smell at all. Then we got rid of the open seed and fertilizer bags, and the lumber section got smaller. Now when I walk in, it just smells like a clean box store. It's better for everyone's health, I know that, but I miss the old scent. It was like the place had a soul. Has anyone else noticed a smell from their childhood just vanish like that?
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anna_ellis881mo ago
My grandpa's farm lost its real smell when they switched to odorless manure. That clean air means his asthma is gone now. The new smell is just the price of progress.
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paul_taylor211mo ago
That "price of progress" line really hits home. My uncle's dairy farm went through the same thing last year. The weird part is how quiet the barn gets without all the coughing, even if you miss the old earthy smell.
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