Much Ado about NOTHING

I'm done with "mom and pop" hardware stores. Yesterday, I wanted to buy a certain item (an industrial-strength cleaning product) that I know is sold in some hardware stores but not in others. So I walked into the local nuts-and-bolts shop, which is walking distance from my house. There were no other customers in the store -- just two elderly men leaning on the counter and staring at me like I had just descended from Alpha Centauri. The floor creaked as I walked toward them. It was very Lynchian. I inquired about the product and even showed them an advertisement for it that I had ripped from a magazine. One of them took it and spent about a minute squinting at it before he said, in a sarcastic tone, "nope!" and handed it back. He didn't ask me if I needed anything else. I got the impression that they wanted me to apologize for disturbing them, but I just mumbled "thanks anyway" and left. I wonder how this place stays in business -- or if it is a business at all. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing any customers in there when I've passed by before. Maybe it's a front for a high-stakes pinochle game.