Where is your favorite hardware store?

[StarvingHyena]

I moved to Juneau, Alaska in 1980 … the same year Mount St. Helens blew. Well in the downtown area was a wonderful hardware store called 'Endicott Hardware'. It was the kind of store that never let me down no matter how obtuse my request was. As my occupation was fixing old boats and turn of the century houses … long before codes. I'd go to Endicotts's with the confidence that they would have whatever I needed. Numerous times reacting to my most radical request, the clerk would squint, scratch his head …. and tell me "yeah … I think we may have one" … follow me. Off to the very back of his store where he would open a trap door in the plank flooring, pull a chain light switch … lighting a ladder to the catacombs a secrete floor below (oh no …. the public was not allowed there) … after blowing dust and rummaging through the shelving …. he would hand me a box with the exact item that I needed …. Manufacturer's phone number in four digits maybe just two. That store never let me down no matter how obscure my request.

Hindsight is always 20 / 20 … but I sure wish I had offered to do inventory for free. Now a Tee shirt store and a diamond ring palace sits in its place all to service the cruise ship industry.

Where is your favorite hardware store?

Tom

[Tim L]

My Hardware store was just like that. "Duda Hardware". Been in business for decades. Had the same trap door, and everything was there. Some items for decades as well. His philosophy was "when three people ask for an item I stock it". Those hardware stores are now almost extinct, as is the local grocery store, local lumber yard, etc. etc., and gone with them the service, and knowledge.

I remember the smells, and the creak of the hardwood floors, hand written price tags, and hardware scales It was ran by Leroy, and his two Aunts both of which I am sure were born in their 80's and just got older from there. Personality abounded, and everyone knew your name. A sharp contrast from the hollow, cold warehouses we now shop where low price dictates, poor quality dominates, and help is hard to find.

[cpaharley2008]

Before Home Depot and Lowes we had neighborhood hardware stores. In fact there were several downtown Baltimore that was within walking distance during my lunch hour. It was not uncommon for me to be carrying a brown bag lunch to work and carrying a brown bag and a gallon of paint to the bus stop for my trip home in the afternoon. On edit, also everything was stamped "made in USA" back then vs China imports today.

[Iowa Dave]

The old hardware stores which were family owned and are now mostly gone or have morphed into the prepackaged chains we an education in themselves. My favorite in my home town of Cedar Rapids was Kubias Hardware. No secret basement but a restricted “back room” where kids were not allowed. My dad had a good friend who was very handy. I was with him once and I learned that he was a trusted customer who could just walk back there without even asking. That was an eye opener. The other great store was in Council Bluffs. It was called Kattleman’s and was owned and operated by Rose and Sissy Kattleman, Jewish ladies who knew every nut and bolt in the store. They called every male customer babe, darling or honey. They treated you the same whether you spent a nickel or $100. It’s a shame to me to see the changes in US retailing over the past 50 or 60 years, that includes general merchandise stores, sporting goods stores, drug stores with soda fountains, dime stores and many others. To me it has not been progress.

[escape artist]

Hi: StarvingHyena... We in St. Thomas On. are fortunate to have the number one rated Home Hardware Building Center in Canada. It's huge and while you may not find everything there, if you don't you won't find it anywhere!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Jim Bennett]

In Calgary it was Chesney Hardware, started in the early 1900's. It had everything hardware one would ever need, and had a huge stock of older no longer manufactured parts. They became a Home Hardware store quite a ways back, but still kept a section of all the older stuff. Unfortunately they grew with the implementation of a heating division, then about 10 years ago moved to a new location and did not bring the old stock of stuff along, as I assume it was not a profitable thing at all. Too bad.

A shout out does have to go to the Home Hardware in Osoyoos, a stop for near everyone attending the rally. They stock lots of unique items that are not in the Home Hardware catalogue, and always have something new of interest every year when we go in. I dare anyone to go in there and peruse the store and not come out with something. Jasper just loves shopping in the pet department, his nose is going hard in there checking out all the treats.

[rubicon327]

I'm too young to have seen some of the best stores I'm sure. I'm still surprised once in a while to find a place that seems to have everything or can order it. One thing that bugs me is when I'm trying to do something custom I rarely get anyone with any patience or knowledge at the big box stores. Worst is when I ask for something and they say they don't have it...only to check for myself and find it.

[Allan Bornestig]

Hardware stores.My favorite
used to be Paine Hardware in North Vancouver, these guys had everything.I would go in and ask for a 12 inch gate hook and they would have it.The place burned down one New Years Eve.
It had oiled creaky wooden floors, they sold hunting and fishing licenses, smelled good and the staff knew what you were talking about.Nowadays whenever I go to Bellingham WA, a visit to Hardware sale is always on my list.Staff very helpful, if we don't have it we will get it in for you.The business covers about a block.I bring my sons and friends there, service is outstanding.
Allan.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

I rarely get anyone with any patience or knowledge at the big box stores. Worst is when I ask for something and they say they don't have it...only to check for myself and find it.

You mean like the other day in Home Depot. I was asking where I could find those blue plastic grommets for tarps. The request deteriorated into gestures and words like "blue" and "plastic" when I realized that the person in Customer Service, no less didn't understand what a tarp was.

Ron

[Greg A]

My favorite currently is online. While the old style hardware stores are fun to peruse, even they cant stock or get everything. Big box serve a purpose for common hardware items and have what I need most of the time, but unusual items forget it.
Good search skills can usually find anything online and in a few days it arrives.
Only drawback is if I have to do it today, but I find more and more that I need to do very little in a hurry.

[padlin]

We still have a local store that you can by hardware by the piece, as opposed to the package. They got hurt pretty bad by the HD that opened in the next town a few years ago but are still hanging on. It's nice when you can go buy 2x's and have them all be straight, sure it costs a little more, but some things are worth the price. Hope that last as long as I do.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Allan Bornestig

Hardware stores.My favorite
used to be Paine Hardware in North Vancouver, these guys had everything.I would go in and ask for a 12 inch gate hook and they would have it.The place burned down one New Years Eve.
It had oiled creaky wooden floors, they sold hunting and fishing licenses, smelled good and the staff knew what you were talking about.
Allan.

I stood there and watched it burn. It was very sad. It was owned by relatives and I knew every inch of the place. There'll certainly never be another place like it. Things like going in a back room and pumping yourself a gallon of kerosene, hard to imagine now. It highlights how deficient some places are now at having staff who know the product.

Ron

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Worst is when I ask for something and they say they don't have it...only to check for myself and find it.

It is in my nature to help folks, and when I here some of the "associates" at places like the BORG, giving advice on something they know nothing about that makes me cringe, I often talk to the customer after they are done offering my professional advice if I do know what I am talking about. I also have had an associate recommend something to me knowing full well that is not what I should do.

I have a friend who is a chemical engineer who as a side job to help the kids through university took a job at Lowe's, who is now a plumbing associate who has been trained to help customers. While he does not what products are available, choosing the right one and how to properly use it is not he is not so great at. He does try, but having no real experience unfortunately does not understand things well.

[cpaharley2008]

When you attend the rally in Osoyoos, there is a nice hardware store in town, has anything you need.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

It highlights how deficient some places are now at having staff who know the product.

Ron

It certainly does, but most employees I've dealt with at the big box stores aren't committed to working with hardware or actually learning about it - it's just a job.

We are fortunate in that we still have several old time hardware stores around here like Johnnie Chouke's ACME Ace, Schnabel's True Value, and Alamo Bolt and Screw. The bad news is that the parking lots of most of them are usually empty, so no telling how long they'll hold out.

[Vermilye]

My favorite is Raby's Hardware in my home town of Oswego. They are now an Ace Hardware, but have been a family business for 3 generations. They still compete well with a Lowes located a couple of miles away.

As to my favorite "guy who can find anything" story, I have a Homelite SX135 chainsaw (so old the model number is now used for one of their string trimmers). For the last 20 years, a small engine repair shop somehow always had parts for it. I remember needing a replacement muffler, and the guy said "Sure", then slid the library ladder along the wall, went to a box high on the wall, and handed me the muffler (in the original box). Unfortunately, he (and the chain saw) have passed on. I hate to replace it, but the carburetor has died, and his shop is now a 2 car garage converted by the new owner of the house.

[gbaglo]

This was my experience with big box yesterday. My question is in boldface

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[John in Santa Cruz]

We have a couple decent HW stores here in the Santa Cruz Area.

1) San Lorenzo Lumber main store on River St... contractor oriented, stocks decent quality tools and supplies, including a OK hardware selection by the piece

2) Scarborough Ace Hardware in Kings Village, Scotts Valley... has a really deep hardware selection all by the piece, including lots of things you might not normally find... t-nuts, a deep stock of metric stainless, various grades of hardened bolts in english and metric, a pretty good selection of spacers, capnuts, furniture hardware, autobody hardware, etc. their hand tool selection went mostly Craftsman for awhile, which I no longer like, but they are bringing back the Ace Premium line of hand tools.

[StarvingHyena]

Question for Ron in BC, with your sailing experience, I wonder if you ever got out to that marine hardware place in Sooke. I was never able to get there but understand it had an amazing collection of old marine brass … as in three barns full. Have no idea what happened to it.


Tom

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

It certainly does, but most employees I've dealt with at the big box stores aren't committed to working with hardware or actually learning about it - it's just a job.

The best staff in these stores - at least Home Depot but I think the others are similar - are semi-retired trades people who actually know their department, because it sells what they work with. I have run across people like this a few times.

I suspect that most people, in any job in any industry, are not committed to learning about their business.