Description1.1 MB digital image of the John Koning hardware store with farm implements building on north side. Photo circa 1868. Location: 447-445 Butler Street, Saugatuck Both structures burned in 1903 and were replaced in 1904 with the brick building that now houses the Butler Pantry (2021). History: Following his discharge from the Union army in 1864, John (Jan) Nies opened a hardware store in Saugatuck (possibly 1868). In 1894 Nies sold his share in the business to his former apprentice/then partner, John Koning, and moved to Holland where Nies and his sons opened the Nies hardware store. In the 1920s, John Koning added his sons Ira and James to the business.