I went to a real hardware store today

[Village Idiot]

I couldn't figure out the socket size for a bulb I needed for a reading lamp by eyeballing it, so instead of going to Walmart or Lowe's or Menards and guessing, I unplugged the lamp and walked in to a real hardware store with it this afternoon when I was in Cedar Rapids. (O'Donnell's Ace Hardware, near Mark and Joy's place).

A step through the door was a step to decades ago. I didn't seek someone out, someone came to me. He asked if I was there for a lamp repair. Lamp repair? Really? People actually still to that? Half an hour later I walked out knowing more about bulbs than I though there was to know, and glad to hear about all of it.

I haven't been in a place like that in years, ever since the Vinton one closed down years ago. What a great afternoon.

[Marty]

That's the hardware store I go to. When I come in they greet me by name and know I will ask if I can't find something, otherwise I am left alone because they know that I know where things are. Been going there since the 80s.

[John B]

Jul 7, 2022 20:48:32 GMT -5 Marty said:

That's the hardware store I go to. When I come in they greet me by name and know I will ask if I can't find something, otherwise I am left alone because they know that I know where things are. Been going there since the 80s.

That is a hell of a drive for a hammer.

[gbacklin]

I grew up in Hazel Crest, Il. There was only one place we ever went to for everything including tubes for your radios and tv’s if you were lucky enough to have one, that was Jacob’s Hardware. My grandfather’s brother (on my father’s side) was a jack of all trades. He was a milkman for the Dixie Dairy Company, worked for the Illinois Tollway system and even raised quail hunting dogs. He finally settled down and opened Backlin’s Hardware and after he passed, it’s run by his son. Next door is a quilt shop run by my aunt. I have visited a number of times, but every time I’ve gone there, my cousins have never been there. He is there about 90% of the time, I just have really bad timing

[coachdoc]

Warner has Perkins Hardware. Lynn Perkins is a great and friendly guy encyclopedic in his knowledge of this, that, and the other. Everyone still calls it Perkins but it is now Ace hardware after briefly being TruValue. Everyone still refers to it only as Perkins.

[Village Idiot]

Ace hardware is a good franchise, I would think. I've never been to a bad one and it appears they allow lots of local control. They're all like the ones I was in today.

When I was a kid there was a place downtown where you could take a lamp, toaster, waffle iron, about anything and he'd fix it. Now we just throw everything away.

[Dub]

I go to that hardware store at least once a week. They know me pretty well after 35 years or more of being their customer. I used to go there when I still lived in Robins.

Sometimes I’ll buy something of value like a new EGO electric lawnmower, a new grill or a tool, but more often I go for a single washer or machine screw. Maybe a 10¢ fuse. I can find exactly what I need and I only need to buy one, not a whole bubble pack full or an assortment of stuff I don’t need.

They’ll sharpen my mower blades, put new screen wire in my door or, as Todd discovered, fix my lamp. Nice people too.

[Marty]

Jul 7, 2022 21:11:46 GMT -5 coachdoc said:

Warner has Perkins Hardware. Lynn Perkins is a great and friendly guy encyclopedic in his knowledge of this, that, and the other. Everyone still calls it Perkins but it is now Ace hardware after briefly being TruValue. Everyone still refers to it only as Perkins.

That's the place. In the 80s they were called Brenning's TruValue but became a Ace after old Mr Brenning retired and his son let Ace take over. When I did a run of string winders I would clean them out of small parts for the handles.

[TKennedy]

If I am not home good chance you can find me roaming the aisles of the “fasteners” section at Ace putting assorted stuff in the little brown paper envelopes.

[millring]

Our Ace Hardware closed about ten years ago. Going to Lowes isn't the same. It's a different good, but it's not the same.

[kbcolorado]

They have, or can get, pretty much everything. Friendly and helpful staff, a unique business model in today's environment. Ours is a wonderful supporter of community activities, both with dollars and people. The owner is the (unpaid) mayor of our town.

Talked to them yesterday about a Go cordless pole trimmer, been thinking about getting one since they came out. It was an easy conversation, no pressure. Think I'll buy it tomorrow.

[brucemacneill]

I think mu house was bought at ACE hardware in pieces because if anything breaks here, the replacement part is at the ACE store.

[PaulKay]

[Tamarack]

Alger Hardware is a short walk from my house. The only thing it lacks from the hardware store my Dad took us to as kids is the large bins of bulk nails. If I just need a couple of bolts, I take the dog and she gets a treat from the owner.

The mistake I see at many hardware stores is the workers are too eager to help you find an item. If an old guy wanders around a hardware store unsupervised, they buy more stuff.

[billhammond]

Our neighborhood Ace has free popcorn, reliable sales and service on Toro lawn and snow machines, screen and glass repair, all that stuff. And in warm-weather months, its parking lot welcomes a satellite farmers market of fresh veggies -- a pickup manned by a couple grandkids of a produce farmer south of St. Paul.

The only thing that I don't like about the store is that the aisles are so narrow and the merch is stacked so high that venturing into the corner where furnace filters are kept triggers my claustrophobia.

[Rob Hanesworth]

Speaking of hardware, I would support a law outlawing Phillips head screws. Recently had the frustration of reinstalling cabinet doors using my drill and the original Phillips screws. Bit constantly slipped out of the screw head. I went to Lowes and bought T-15 Torx head screws (Ace didn't have the size I needed). The T-15 screws eliminated the frustration and greatly reduced the installation time.

Or, rather than ban Phillips head screws, just mandate that people I don't like must use them.

[Village Idiot]

Jul 8, 2022 9:39:14 GMT -5 Tamarack said:

The mistake I see at many hardware stores is the workers are too eager to help you find an item. If an old guy wanders around a hardware store unsupervised, they buy more stuff.

Having worked in a farm store for several years, I can attest that you are absolutely right.

[epaul]

I've been throwing Phillips screws in the garbage for years. Torx/Star bits all the way, Mon!

Robertson (square) are fine, but all is so much simpler when you stick with one type, and Torx/Star is the one to stick with.

(unless you are Canadian, then it is a matter of national pride to use the Robertson bit)

[Dub]

Jul 8, 2022 6:19:28 GMT -5 kbcolorado said:

Talked to them yesterday about a Go cordless pole trimmer, been thinking about getting one since they came out. It was an easy conversation, no pressure. Think I'll buy it tomorrow.

I assume you mean EGO cordless pole trimmer, like this. I love mine. Best trimmer I’ve ever owned and the self loading feature really works well. If this is your first EGO purchase, you’ll soon be buying more.

[epaul]

Ace is the Giant in the Hardware store biz. They have twice as many stores as number 2, True Value. The local chain I knew the best, Hardware Hank, is falling off the cliff. I know of two Hardware Hank stores that have switched horses and gone over to Ace (the owners said they had been turning to Ace for stock more and more over the last couple years as Hank just has been lagging in all areas, and finally they just pulled the plug).