Brian Elfert wrote in
:

Patriarch writes:

Oakland. These folks make decent money, but work hard, and price
their products competitively. Certainly no more than the BORG, often
less, and I can park right in front, get called by name, and helped

Where can I find a local hardware store that charges the same or less
than a BORG? There is one really, really good hardware store nearby,
but everything except power equipment is outrageously priced.

The store used to be in an old building with the worn wood floors and
all that like the old time hardware stores, but the fire marshall was
going to close them down since the building was a firetrap. They
built a new store next to the old one in the late 80s. Last year,
they had to build another new store 1/2 mile down the road as the city
bought the building and land for economic redevelopment. Sure was a
shame to tear down a 20 year old building in good condition.

Brian Elfert


I don't know, Brian. We have a bunch of them. Most of them are run by
folks that have been in the business for a long time. We went to a
community dinner the other evening, and I was reminded of another place
I used to go a lot, and still do, three or four times a year for certain
stuff. They've been around since the 50's. 4 stores, Ace Hardware
franchise. They were sponsoring the local swim team. Their buildings
aren't falling down, but then, this is California, and the prices are
really high for real estate, so no one really treats them like junk.

I spend half as much there on propane as I would almost anywhere else.
They have mostly mechanics' tools, when you need a really good
selection, without buying a mix of 1024 parts, 396 of which are sabersaw
blades. And the folks know what they sell. Mostly grey haired people,
and a bunch of youngsters learning the business. One of my Boy Scouts
worked for them for maybe 4 or 5 years, until he was through college.
He wears a suit now, has a couple of good looking kids, and a great
smile. Learned customer service there, and from his folks and
grandparents.

Glad we have hardware stores like those around still.

Patriarch