I can get in and out of Hanneke Hardware in South St. Louis faster than I could ever think about getting into and out of Home Depot on South Kingshighway.. When you factor the drive to the nearest Lowes or a better Home Depot, it’s definitely faster.

But it’s not all about fast. The guys at Hanneke know old houses and stock parts for them, too. Where else are you going to find a brass fitting for a flush elbow for the original toilet in your friend’s 1912 four family? Not at a big box, that’s for sure. Plus, they have free popcorn and I can take my kids there and not worry about confining them to a cart (their favorite part is the popcorn and the fastener aisle with all the bins at toddler height). The staff know my name and my kids names and I always feel welcome when I go there. No question how burning hot my local hardware store is.

I’ll also vouch for Soulard Plumbing. I’ve tried Henry and gotten the cold shoulder every time. Soulard has astoundingly good service and very competitive prices.

Another great one in St. Louis is Fehlig lumber. High quality stuff plus excellent service. If you need something that you can use as bed slats, they’ll let you browse through the scrap pile, cut it to size for you and sell it for cheap. They also offer free delivery. Call ‘em up, tell them what you want and give a credit card number. A couple of days later, a truck full of lumber shows up at your house. Truly a time and hassle saver. They’re only open M-F, but the ability to phone in your order makes up for that.

Sure.

Mac Do It Best Hardware store at 40 E. Lockwood.
and
Soulard Plumbing Supply Company at 78 N. Gore.

Both of those are in Webster Groves (zip: 63119).

The plumbers are especially knowledgeable for a plumbing novice like me. They’ve probably saved me a few hundred in goof ups with “A common mistake to make is . . . ” and sure enough, it was what I was going to try.

We used to have an electronics and CB shop near here that was the same way. Walked in there, pulled an odd little bulb out of my pocket, and before I could finish “I don’t suppose you have parts for–”, the guy behind the counter said “Ford radio, yup.” and reached for the appropriate box. Unbelievable.

They closed 2 or 3 years ago, though, since I guess my occasional projects weren’t enough to keep them in business and apparently nobody else went there. Somehow the local economy supports eight “worse than useless” Radio Shack stores, but not a single decent electronics shop? Now I have to drive 18 miles, or shop online, when I need basic components. It’s a shame.

As for hardware, HOT. We also lost our local Ace last summer, and I’m still kicking myself for not having made the guy an offer on the whole Hillman aisle full of bins. Somehow Home Depot and Lowe’s manage to dedicate three times the aisle space but have less selection. There are still a few local hardware stores in the area, though, and I try to take my business there when I can.

Same with the video store! There’s a nationwide chain around the corner, but I’ll happily go the extra 4 miles to patronize Thomas Video, which has a Hitchcock section and a Miyazaki section and a Godzilla section, and three giant tables of laserdiscs. Not that I’m necessarily wild about any of those things, but they also have a shelf of “filmed in Detroit”, which ranges from the big-budget flicks that use our skyline as a backdrop, to the college art-house productions where the foley artist is also an extra is also credited with scriptwriting. I love it.

Local businesses are part of what differentiates us from a giant sea of bland franchise uniformity. I wouldn’t want to live there, would you?

i always try to support the local hardware stores because they (in most cases) actually care about what you’re doing. I grew up in a small town with a hardware store the stuff of legend: creaking wood floors, 800 year old gnomes that could tell from a fraction of a busted coupling what you needed and where to find it in the stacks lining the walls up to the 40-foot ceilings. and they didn’t freak when the kid there with his dad played in the pipe fitting bins, screwing together all kinds of weird plumbing sculpture while waiting on dad to get some accursed doohickey.

there is serious karma in a great hardware store, and as they disappear, the world is a poorer place because of it.

The best is the one that’s been there forever. they usually have everything somewhere in the store. Of course they tend to carry parts and fittings that are relevant to the neighbourhood as well.

HD etc have their place as well.

My local (chain) store sucks. I end up walking out of there empty handed 75% of the time.

As far as bulk purchases, if you happen to have a lumberyard in your town, go get a quote from Home Despot for your entire project and then take it to the local guy and ask if he can match it. If he can’t he’ll probably get within 5%. Just explain that you’d rather him have your business than HD and may be willing to pay a small (SMALL!) premium for that to happen.

I send alot of time and money at Lowes and I am frequently angered by the lack of small parts and the poor service. But the store is very close and I don’t like making a long drive for a $2 part.

Kurt would you mind mentioning the St. Louis local plumber and hardware store you frequent.

A friend of mine works for HD in a advertising role. She hates the company. A few weeks ago she went there with her Boyfriend to buy paint. The paint bucket wasn’t closed correctly and paint spilled all over the back of the car. They did pay for the repairs, but how hard is it to close a can of paint?

I will list a good store in Louisville Ky. Keith’s True Value Hardware on Bardstown rd. in the highlands. They are pricey but they are very knowledgeable and will order anything you want.

I will NOT go into a Home Depot unless I have absolutely no other options. Never again. I’m sick of what passes as service there. If I have to use a chain it will be Lowe’s.

But mostly I don’t have to use either, because Farm & Home Hardware in Wellington, Ohio, has everything I need at fair prices and service is superb.

I even bought my 16KW Generac generator there–turned out to be $100 less than Home Depot and one of the owners of the store installed it for me.

This is the kind of old fashioned hardware store where you can buy nuts, bolts, screws, etc. by the piece, put them in a paper bag, write the price on it and they trust you at the cash register.

If they don’t have it you probably don’t need it.

Lately it seems as though the big box store employees turn and walk the other way when they see a customer coming.

My local Ace rules for knowledgeable staff. May be a bit more expensive but I haven’t stumped them yet with one of housing projects. Home Depot staff frequently put on the clueless face when I ask them questions.

http://www.morristownlumber.com/

In my opinion, most of these independents are worth supporting have a lot to offer that the big boxes don’t. I’m blessed to have an Awesome Ace right out the back door from where I work.

I nominate C&D Hardware on 11th in Houston. I’ll drive 4x the distance just to browse their selection. If they don’t have it, THEN I go to the big boxes.

Oh - and I second luthier58. Depends on the store.

Just last week I was coming home from work and and stopped in a local hardware store. (I have never been in this store before). I needed a pex compatible shutoff shutoff valve to finish a little project. After rummaging through the plumbing section (Which was a disorganized mess) I found no pex valves or fittings (though they did have a stub of a role of pex on their tubing rack) My request to the guy behind the counter was met with a blank stare. I pointed to the roll of red tubing…Oh!! he said, you mean plastic pipe! I got what you need in the back! 15 minutes later he comes out with a pvc fitting and a can of solvent cement! I spent a couple of minutes trying to explain what I needed, he started to argue with me! Needless to say I ended up driving to Lowe’s that evening.

At least in the chain you can ignore people who seem clueless and just search for what you need on the shelf.

Don’t get me wrong though. A good mom and pop hardware store can be great! Its just that the bad ones are just awful! Sometimes it takes to long the sort the good from the bad and it’s easier to go to Lowe’s.

This brings me to my Idea. How about a little directory of tool monger worthy hardware stores on the site! We the faithful readers of Tool Mongers can nominate entries and have some ability for other mongers to post reviews/comments.

Just a thought.

I guess there are some Ace stores around here - not sure if that’s a chain or not. The quality / experience seems to vary from store to store. Some just want to sell lawn stuff and grill tools; others want to sell just plumbing / sprinkler parts. If you go to the right store, it’s OK - but still a hassle that they all seem to close before 5:30 pm on Sundays.