Overview
- Thursday, September 3, is celebrated in Argentina as Día del Ferretero to salute hardware store owners and workers across the country.
- The observance traces to a 1905 founding of the Sociedad de Ferreterías, Pinturerías y Bazares de la República Argentina and was formalized as a festivity in 1943.
- CAFARA, the successor body, bought its first Buenos Aires headquarters in 1933 and later spread to cities such as Ramos Mejía, Rosario, Córdoba, Santa Fe, Mendoza, Mar del Plata and San Juan.
- The role of the ferretero has grown from shopkeeper to technical adviser and local problem-solver for households and small industries.
- Retailers reported tools and supplies rising roughly 8–11 percent after the recent apertura del cepo cambiario, a move that could raise costs for homeowners and small builders and put pressure on supply chains if import prices keep climbing.