Hardware Store Nostalgia
 

Researching what happened to Ole's and Builders Square led me to this site:

https://truthrambler.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/defunct-home-centers-lumber-yards/

I've been lamenting the fact that my only current choices in hardware stores are Lowe's and Home Depot, both of which I consider to be overpriced and thin on selection. Menard's is a far superior store if you have one, but they aren't a national chain. I haven't been able to find anything independent and local to me. (Well, there is ACE, but it's a crapshoot if they actually carry the thing you need.)

What's funny is that the list the guy gives is mostly just a bunch of big-box also-rans.

From what I can tell, most of the real hardware stores are gone. The ones run by the grizzled old-timers, where you can bring in a fitting from your 19th-centure house and he'll hobble over to a dusty cabinet and fetch all of the parts you need to rebuild it, or better yet, an exact replacement for it. The guy working there will know the difference between metric, SAE, and Whitworth. Those guys are gone.

Luckily I have two ACE stores not too far from my house; the closest one is kind of small, but they have 95% of my random hardware needs, and I can usually get the remaining 5% at the other one. If I need bulk materials (ie fencing, lumber) I have to go to Home Depot or Lowes.

We have a Menards, which is like a Wal-Mart of hardware but they have a good selection and we also have a Blain's Farm and Fleet which has the good stuff when you need it.

Farm & Fleet is the other one I miss.

We had a huge, old style hardware store situated down town that had been there since the late 1800's. You could go there and find anything you could think of. The store was old with bins and bins of items lining the walls. If you couldn't find what you wanted, the staff would help find it. They vacated their old location down town (which was a great disadvantage because of parking) maybe ten years ago, and moved to a more suburban location. They no longer have that old store feel, rather they stock very upscale items and fixtures. It's a great place to go for ideas and see beautiful and unique things, but nothing like before.

we have a couple around still, but are dying off and the service isn't what it used to be 20 years ago when I was running around chasing parts. Most of the employees who work there are a bunch of guys from south of the border with limited understanding of how things are really go together, but they are learning. The days of the typical looking flannel shirt, long beard man who can ID something as soon as you walk into the store is going away fast. They are mostly likely the owner. I love those places. Get in, they go and grab it for you and out of there to start my 3 hour lunch.:D

they knew the hipsters are coming

These places are incredible. They spend 15 minutes tracking down some obscure bolt by going through endless bins, find it, and then charge only 15 cents for the bolt.
Amazing.

This also reminds me of old bicycle stores- Same thing, rumaging through bins to find some 50 cent bicycle spoke or ball bearing.:)

what's even more amazing is that they know exactly where that little bolt is in a sea of mess. This was the same bolt they saw two months ago while digging through it for something else entire different.

Fulkerson Hardware in Somis, Avenue Hardware in Ventura and Whitaker's Hardware in Moorpark and B&B in Camarillo. We are blessed. The one that I miss was in Newhall, the old reliable, Newhall Hardware.

Years ago I went to a local hardware - appliance parts place. Computers were just taking over and everyone now knows computers are only as good as the programming and the database that gets loaded. I walked in with the control timer for my old dishwasher. The young computer guy typed and typed and was finding nothing. The old grey walked by and saw my part on the counters and said, wow, an old Wj-59B or or whatever that part number was. He said I have not sold one of those in years. He then reached into a bin right by the front counter and blew a half inch of dust off of the part I needed. The young guy looked puzzled and said but nothing like that is in here, pointing at the computer.

That part still had a mail in warranty card in it.

There's also Patterson Hardware in Fillmore. Wood floors, old scew and nail bins and helpful people. I've spent a few bucks there!

^^^ This.
We've got two Ace stores close by. One has the almost anything I need for house/ranch projects and can give good advice on what will work or not. Love going in with some strange part and going through the pull out drawers to find it. I was working on one of the ranch ponds Saturday and was having trouble with a fitting. Walked in, greeted at the pipe section and showed them my part and was told they don't make that one any more but we have one that will work. It did. One of my better buys for $7.

There is talk of a Tractor Supply Store going in about a half hour away, but I don't know much about them.

My father in law owns such a store out in small town central KS. He is also a contractor, so if by chance he doesn't have it, there's a good chance he can head back to his shop and make it. His father started the store, pretty much every one of his 10 kids has worked there, and I managed it for a few years. Nail and screws sold by the pound, lots of old dusty bins, hand written statements, credit accounts billed monthly for locals. No computers, no credit cards. He only carries what he will use, so he typically has really good hardwood, higher grade lumber, and high quality paint. It's a cool place, but when he retires I doubt anybody else will want it. There's three chain stores only 20 minutes away, most people prefer to buy cheap junk vs quality.

I have a Menards and Home Depot within 5 minutes, but will drive 15 minutes to Ace. Amazing how a little hardware store always has what the big box stores do not.

Tractor supply is really for farm stuff. Lots of clothing, feed, and the stuff the average ranch or farm needs. The sell baby chicks, welders and lots of stuff for trailers.

AMEN brother! I've lived in Newhall for about 30 years. Newhall Hardware was amazing. Woodruff keys, saddles, guns, and every nut and bolt, including Whitworth taps and dies which I once bought for my 1930 Rudge Whitworth Grand Prix Ulster.

I asked once if there was anything they didn't sell and the grizzled old guy said "Hamburgers".

few years ago, i got a bug up my butt to find USA made bastard files. i knew Nicholson had an american run so i ran off to find them.

i found some neat stores along the way. EAMES was one of them. merchandise was hooked to the walls up to the ceilings. one of those old school ladders that ran on a rail all along one way..an old dude with reading glasses that he had to peak over. super cool stuff.

i ended up finding one single USA made file. and it was at an ACE by my office. i leafed thru many MEX ones and found a single packaged marked USA. of course i had to my a phillipines made wood handle for it. :)

vash, make the handle yourself then it will be completely made in the USA. It will just be made by a bunch of minorities:p

Hah! But true.

The tractor supply near me is like a cross between a harbor freight and a tractor store. It has a lot of cheap chinese stuff, and lightweight farm equipment. A lot of the stuff (like aerators and such) are no better than the lowes stuff and will break in short order. What I do like about them is that they have a good nuts/bolts selection, a better selection of steel tidbits for welding, they have a pretty decent selection of tires for garden tractors, and link bars and pins for 3 point hitches and stuff right next to their trailer supplies. Before I buy anything at Lowes/Tractor Supply/Home Depot I always like to look it up on their websites and read all the negative reviews on what a piece of @#@ whatever that item might be. I can then find a more obscure and expensive alternative somewhere else and buy it there. :)

Sounds like if they come in here, they give our local Farm Supply Company some competition.

There was a Mom & Pop in my old neighbourhood too. Real lino tiles made from linseed oil with a trail worn through to the concrete, tin ceiling tiles and a bell attached to the front door. The guy wore old Carhart overalls with a heavy coat because there was never any heat in the place, and he had reading glasses hung around his neck on a bathtub stopper chain.

He also offered small engine repair and basic machine shop services; had almost any fastener known to man and lots of cool vintage signs advertising long forgotten hardware. I'm pretty sure he didn't consider them cool. The place smelled like 3 in 1 oil.

The place got flattened to make way for the parking lot of the condo development next door. Now its full of Smart cars and $600 strollers:rolleyes: Sad that my kid will never know a place like this because today if something breaks you just a buy whole new one...

Great thread. I worked in a mom&pop hardware store after school and summers from age 16 to 18, and then as an appliance repairman through my last year of college. I have so many memories and stories I could write a book.
This place had oiled wood floors that we went in and re-oiled about every two months. The floor creaked as you walked across it. There was a bell on the front door and a big storage area upstairs. We sold GE appliances and TVs, had snathes on the sales floor (and sold a few) and had horse collars in the storage area upstairs. I never sold a horse collar.
Just one story:
We had some regular customers who were real characters. One of them, a guy named Woody, bought a 13" tv for his wife and had us store it upstairs until the day before Christmas. Our glass storage and cutting area was upstairs too. The store was packed the day before Christmas with people who weren't regulars. Woody came in to get his TV and I went upstairs and found an empty TV box and filled it with broken glass. Halfway down the stairs I dropped it and it crashed and rolled to the bottom of the steps. I picked it up and nonchalantly handed it to him. He said, "It is OK?" and I said, "Oh yes, they all make a lot of noise." The strangers in the store were appalled. You could hear them murmuring in disbelief. Woody took the box and stood outside and I had to wait on this shocked woman. As soon as I finished with her I went outside and Woody and I laughed ourselves sick.

We have one in my neighborhood, interesting selection of stuff. Some of which has clearly been on the shelves for a VERY long time.

It's interesting but I only go there in a pinch since the guy at the counter is kind of a jerk.

That's really good! Perfect timing, too! The BBC is looking for a new funny guy. Something about a gear?

(I had to look up Snathes. City folk don't need no stinkin' snathes!)

We feared we'd lose our family run hardware store when HD came to town. But by becoming an ACE store and the locals rallying around them they survived and is always my first stop. They almost always have what I need, especially fasteners of all sorts, household electrical, paints,stains,oils,rope.window screen repair. Heck they've even loaned me an extractor to get my showerhead out of the wall when it rusted out.

Vash, used to be a joke about the files that old timers used to tell. Seems like a guy walked into the hardware store and asked the young clerk if they had any bastard files. To that the young clerk replied, "no, but we have a bunch of those round SOB's."

Growing up in Santa Monica, there was only one hardware store worth a hoot.
This one:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1426120178.jpg

Don't know if it's still the same today but it was the old fashioned kind of store you long for today.

We had a general store in town ( more accurately....the only store in town) that had everything.
Horse collars, barbed wire, water pumps, nuts + bolts, clothing, boots, tire chains, canned goods, ammunition, you name it, and the post office was inside too.
When the owner died, about 15 years ago now, it took 4 days to auction off the contents.
Miss that store.

There is an old school Hardware store in La Porte, Colorado only a few minutes from my house. I try to go there and give them business. A few weeks ago I was installing a winch in my Razr and I needed a couple of tiny screws to mount the switch in the location I wanted. I knew the guy behind the counter who has probably been there since hardware stores were invented would go to the appropriate isle and find what I needed in a jiffy, as opposed to me digging there the drawers....

With that said Home Depot is one of my clients so I give them my business as well.

It was still there as of three years ago.

Plenty of mom and pops here in Portland. Its actually more convenient to visit them instead of driving out to 82nd where the big stores are.

Looks like a plan for a short road trip from Moorpark. I just love this County!

When I worked out in Santa Clarita I happened upon Newhall Hardware. Those folks were so darn friendly that they made the trip from Camarillo (where I lived at the time) worth it.

Another place that I miss out there is the original Gus' Tools. A classic from the heyday of home building in Southern California.

Same thing happened to B&B in Camarillo. BUT, they are still there and still a great hardware store. IMHO, it didn't take long for folks to appreciate B&B.

I was there about over a year ago. It should still be there.

One of my favorite hardware store is Berg hardware in Pasadena. They have every fastener available to man kind. If they don't have it, they will get it. They know their stuff well. Mostly old timers, but the few young men that work there are also pretty knowledgeable. Not cheap.

I'll put Menards on the bottom of the list in quality of goods, the lowest grade stock of wood and awful customer assistance. It leads in pricing but not worth the hassles. BTW: I've done many residential housing rehabs and even though I try to avoid them, there's a convenience factor that regretfully draws me in. They seem to pull a good market share in the Midwest.

Lowe's stinks on selection, priced too high but better trained and helpful employees. If in a town where Menards competes, I'll gladly pay a little more and go for Lowes.

Of the three big box, Home Depot can sometimes balance the best of Menards pricing and Lowes service. For electrical and plumbing, selection is good and can find needs quickly. Their big thing now is gardening, plants, etc. The plant warranty is full replacement and 100% if they go bad. Some of my cordless Rigid tools have lifetime warranty on them - including batteries. Convenient. For framing, the stock selection is crappy too. Also, I believe they were caught up in the Chinese racket of inferior wallboard. Mold and other issues.

The quality of woods and stock selection is getting very bad though. Waste of my time and effort digging thru racks trying to find good flat cement board too. If you need a quick pick of drywall, good luck. They must be hiring moron 'certified' fork lift drivers. Always damaged edges in the bundles of wallboard. And what a waste of time trying to get any decent grade 2 x for framing! BS on the grading. The deal with their suppliers must be the laugh in the corporate 'board' rooms!

Best bet is always to seek a good old lumber company. The employees know their stock and terminology. For wood, price is usually on par with the big box but you can get quality stock for framing work. Selection for trim is far wider too but expect to pay more.

For specialty hardware, fasteners that I can count on having in stock is from Ace Hardware. Prices are mostly higher than the rest for just about everything, BUT can hit sales that sometimes better Menards. Pretty lucky but have 1/2 dozen Ace Hardware near me all owned by one family.

(of note: They used to be heavy in the tool rental but now leaned off 'dangerous' stuff...lol. They decided to sell off much of it. I purchased a truck load of near brand new commercial grade power tools and equipment from them. Name brands. Resold and gifted some that I really didn't have use for or multiples. Example: $2,000 floor sanders / refinshers for $100! Porter Cable coil nailers $25, Stanley floor nailers $40, used air compressors, water pumps at $50-75 apiece, a brand new Porter Cable wall / ceiling powered / vac drywall sander for $10 (what are they, $350 new??), three commercial grade Target tile saws with stands and water pump $50!)

In one particular town, there's a classic old nostalgia Tru-Value. I used to count on them but the old owners sold out and the new folks just don't have their act together. Seem to struggle when it comes to basic understanding of fasteners. Stock is very short supply. Crazy thing is, a main Tru-Value depot is only a few miles away. But how kind of them to take your order and will have it in a day or two.... no thanks pal ;)

Howard Brothers, Doraville, Georgia...the "bolt room"

http://www.howardbrothers.com/wp-con...3/08/image.jpg

Yes, that Doraville:
http://visitatlantasdekalbcounty.com...RS-300x280.jpg

In our experience Home Depot had by far the worst customer assistance. Horrible enough that I wrote the company and told them how bad it was and that I would never be back. They sent a gift card for Home Depot and I sent it back saying I would never shop there again which made the gift card worthless. Been 10 or 12 year now since I have set foot on one. I might get stuff like the Cree lights from them online though if I can't find the ones I want on Amazon.

Our local Menards has decent drywall, treated underlayment and such but you really have to pick through the $2 studs to get straight ones. The employees will help you sort through them, put them on your cart and help you load them into your truck. They don't have a great selection in residential lighting but they have the Hunter and similar brands and how much difference is there in conduit?

Our Farm and Fleet has good people working there as well other than the tire department. They are a bit slow. Helpful and knowledgeable and know where everything is.

Thiesens is decent as well but a bit out of the way for us. They won't sell hand spoons to out of state residents though even though it goes through a local FFL guy.

If you want good wood we have a genuine lumber store close by as well.

It's the exact opposite here. HD is way, way better than Lowes or some of the local places.