An ambitious plan to replace the old hardware building in Oak Bluffs with a three-story structure is nearly ready for a vote by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.

A planned solar array on land owned by the Oak Bluffs water district remains in the slow lane as developers prepare to return to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission later this month.

When John E. Phillips opened his store in 1928, penny nails were four cents a handful, a pound of putty was about a dime and every face that passed through the door was a familiar one.