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Categories: Nurseries & Gardening, Hardware Stores [Edit]
Neighborhood: University of Texas
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I like frequenting a place where I can get a silicone egg poacher and a Dremel drill bit and it's NOT WAL-MART.
Very knowledgeable staff. I went in wanting a certain bit for my Dremel. The sales person recommended a different (cheaper) bit and sure enough, it was much better suited for my needs.
They've got a full hardware store and a pretty well stocked kitchen/gift registry area. The home decor isn't up my alley, but that's okay. Because they have truffles and coffee at the checkout.
I like the hardwares side where I can find a man in Dickies to point to this or that fixin' thing.
What a concept: a hardware store that is human scale, people help you and you can find stuff!
I get a Junior League Old Money feel from the fancy side. It's probably the china patterns, the smelly candles and the ladies with the Texas Old Money hair.
I'm not any kind of Money, so I always feel a bit queasy there-- a spy in the house of love as I drool on the Le Creuset. They have a terrific variety of house and kitchenware. Good spot for cookie cutters.
The handmade chocolates are a fantastic treat!
If you are wondering why they have signs about parents watching their children in the outdoor garden area, that's on account of me. 7 years ago when my oldest was a toddler, he tripped over a garden hose left directly across a path. Got a big goose egg on his forehead. Some nice women gave him a Godiva chocolate bar to gnaw on and ice for his noggin.
Hopefully in addition to the signs, they stopped putting hoses across the paths back there. Watch your step!
A horrible experience at Breed and Co has compelled me to write this, my first review on Yelp.
I was looking for a Flashflight. Its a 20-25 dollar LED frisbee disc. Now, one might not expect for a hardware store to carry sporting goods, but it was worth a shot. My brother, myself, and a friend walked in and asked Ron with the moustache if they carried any lighted frisbees. To this he said, "We're not a toystore!" Then I politely asked where I could find the batteries. To this he responded by pointing nearby. He then stared me down to the point that I had to ask if I had insulted him somehow.
I shouldn't have bought the batteries, but I did, and I walked out with such a bad feeling that I will probably take them back.
As much as I like to shop locally, I wll not be returning to Breed and Co.
It's a peculiar animal, this Breed & Co., at least in the sense that traditionally, the ying perhaps being the atypical hardware store, with more of what appears to be carefully handpicked building stuffs wrought with forethought, and the yang the more ornate, boutique gifts and more that find themselves arranged floor to ceiling (almost) on the other side. What seems to draw the two together (well, other than the fact that they're part of the same business) is an attention to detail: I was asked twice in the span of a couple of minutes wandering around the hardware side if I needed help, and not in an intrusive way. They seemed genuinely curious, genuinely eager to add a personal touch. That was nice.
And on the boutique side, I was really impressed by the wide and creative array of goods here. I was on a specific quest on this day, and they didn't quite have what I needed at the price point I was after, so I had to take a proverbial powder and head on down the road. But I can totally see where the myriad five star reviews rain down: these guys work hard to be different...and just hopefully, original.
Don't really care about hardware.
All I know is that Breed & Co. carry Roscar Chocolates.
THE best handmade chocolate truffles in Austin.
They are made by a Belgian man who has a little shop in Bastrop. Try them all. They are fantastic!
If the mega hardware store doesn't have an obscure part or item, they usually have no idea who might... Breed stocks lots of odds and ends you won't find at Lowe's or Depot... what they don't stock or have they can usually direct you somewhere that does.
They have an amazing selection of great housewares and cool items - like reed diffusers, truffle chocolates, cool gift items, etc. And the hardware side has some pretty cool stuff too. If you can't find it anywhere else, stop by Breeds. I buy a lot of Christmas gifts here because they are unique.
I finished my semester yesterday around 3:30 after (hopefully) taking my last final to the shed, and I was feeling pretty euphoric at the thought of being free for a month. But, when I put my hands in my pocket I did not feel the familiar jangle of my keys!
So I backtracked and ended up seeing my keys sitting quietly in the ignition. "%^&@%^@&*%*&(^@&*%#" I thought. So I attempted to break into my care for the next 45 minutes with some friends and failed miserably we did break a fork against my car!) Anyhow, I had an "extra" key which was snapped in half from about a year ago, and i took that into Breed & Co where the very optimistic worker said he thought he could make a working key ( the snapped in half key was worn down reeeaaallllyyy badly). So he took about 15 minuted on it and didn't charge me cause he couldn't guarantee it would work. Merry Christmas if it works and sorry if it doesn't.
Lucky for me that key worked.
I live very close to this store and have shopped here any times over the years. Beyond the hardware, they have a plant nursery and a housewares department with high end kitchen appliances and dinnerware. The even sell gourmet chocolate for reasons I have no idea but will not complain.
In north-central Austin, there is only one hardware store and this is it. The service and great...helpful and knowledgeable about the vast array of inventory they have.
Sometimes I don't want to go to a box store to shop for home supplies and this is the best alternative out there even if it costs a bit more.
I never thought I'd rave about a hardware store, but I am! I love walking down to Breed & Co. on a Saturday afternoon. I like the complimentary coffee at the counter and I've never had a bad experience there; the staff is very knowledgeable the friendly.
This is a huge store. One side of the shop is your standard hardware store and the other side of the store is full of home stuff like picture frames, lamps, stationary, cute kitchen and glassware and even fancy chocolates! Even if I go there just to have an extra set of keys made, I can't resist grabbing a cup of coffee and browsing through the adorable housewares section.
The good part: Five stars for not being Home Depot, five stars for the older guys help and advice, and five stars for them letting me in one minute past closing to exchange a screw.
The bad part: a manager was extremely rude to me once when I showed up two minutes after closing.
every time so far that I've gone to Breed for something, the staff has been very eager to help and very friendly. They are a little expensive but great for when you are in a pinch or need some keys cut fast.
While there, I also like to head over to their housewares section to drool and pretend like I'm rich and can buy whatever my little susie-homemaker heart desires.
I got this desk lamp from IKEA because it was cheap and portable, but then after I got it all set up, I found out it needed a special light bulb. HEB didn't have it, but someone told me about Breed's. The guy in the hardware section seemed to have the whole store's inventory memorized; he led me right to it. Unfortunately, the bulb cost $3. WTF. Well, it's lasted me 2 years, so I guess it was worth it. I've also gotten keys copied here. It's fast and cheap. Starz for super helpful and knowledgeable sales people, and props for their friendly cashiers. I'm pretty sure you can find any hardware parts you need here. I only wish they were open longer. Conveniently located in West Campus.
This is one of my favorite stores in Austin. I don't go over to the housewares part often, but know the hardware side pretty well. Today I needed a small brass compression fitting for a device at the lab; of course they had it! I also picked up some metric screws for another piece of equipment.
At one time I liked the Lowes/Home Depot type of place, but other than lacking lumber, Breed's has a better selection of hardware than either of those big-box stores. Plus, the service is 1000x better. Today at Breed's I saw more people working there than I would normally see at a 100x-the-size Home Depot.
Looking at my past reviews, I think I may be too free with giving stars. Breed's, however, deserves every one of the 5 I gave them.
My reaction almost any time I enter Breed & Co. is to drool. Instantly.
Why? Because the only things I am not interested in there are the silly garden decorations with geese.
Tools.. beautiful, beautiful tools. Like the Swedish-made adjustable crescent wrench I got there. Machined so beautifully it's a work of art. I don't see that for sale at Home Depot or Lowe's.
The guys over in the hardware/plumbing/electrical section and I used to be on a first-name basis during my days as handywoman for the coops I lived in. They were always full of good advice and suggestions when I had to buy a new doorknob or faucet that had been broken in the previous night's drunken tomfoolery.
Cooking implements... oh how I love thee! Breed & Co gave me my appreciation for Le Creuset, for Henckel knives, for the fine cookware of the world.
The way the afternoon light once glittered off of a wine glass made me buy it and give it all the love in the world. $17 for a wine goblet is a little pricey, but if you love wine and drink it daily, you might as well drink it in a most fitting vessel.
I once got great deals on some dying plants that now have descendants living at a few coops in town.
It's locally owned. It feels friendly and warm, and gave me greater pleasure than any other store on the drag when I was in college other than Desert Books. Because of that store, I was able to educate myself on how to have a house while I was cramming my head full of theories during my years of higher education.
I have been to Breed's twice, and these guys are SO helpful!
FIRST EXPERIENCE:
I had to find a very specific kind of AC filter, and was recommended to try Breed's. I went in expecting the usual choice of about 10 sizes, and realized they had probably a HUNDRED shapes and sizes of filters! No joke! I had to ask for help from an employee, and he very quickly and nicely got a ladder and pulled down several for me.
SECOND EXPERIENCE:
I was having problems with the lever-button thingy on my toilet, so I took a photo of the outside and inside on my digital camera and headed to Breed's. I was just planning on figuring out how to fix it myself, but when I asked an employee where the toilet supplies were he immediately took me under his wing! He studied the photos, asked me questions, asked another employee a few questions, and they together determined my EXACT problem: one small screw was missing from the apparatus. Rather than make me buy an entire toilet-flushing-stuff set (which was only like $3), he popped open a package, took out the screw, and told me to just take it and see if it fixed it. It did! These guys are FANTASTIC!!!
THE STORE:
This place is SO deceiving from the outside. They've managed to cram an entire Home Depot AND gift shop into this tiny building. On the left, they've got everything from screws and nails to kitchen sinks for installing to drawer knobs and towel racks. In the center is a collection of kitchen cookware and household gifts (and a chocolate counter, mmmm). Finally, on the extreme right you've got plants and gardening supplies for anyone with a green thumb.
Now I'll never need to make the trek to Home Depot again!
Breed & Co is a cool place- actually 2 places: The hardware (left) and the Froo-Froo (right). I'm more on the left, but i've never experience snobbery in the Froo Froo side. All the staff are friendly- especially the hardware staff- completely knowledgeable and helpful with all my weird projects. They have a much better selection of hardware (especially metric hardware, hard-to-find nut drivers, and electrical parts) than the Depot or Lowes.
They loose a point for being expensive as all get-out.
Breed is the best hardware store in Austin for getting tools that are a little out of the ordinary. So far its the only place I have found that carries japanese saws and good european chisels. Not a big selection of them, but at least they have some. The nursery section is not as good as it was way back when, but its still decent. In the hardware section, the staff is still experienced and helpful. Im not a fan of all the fancy stuff they have taken to carrying but I still like this hardware store better than any other in town.
Just moved into a new place where almost everything was broken or needed repairs. My record was 4 trips in the span of one afternoon to Breed's. There's always someone to help you and they KNOW exactly what to do and how to do it, unlike the Home Depot guys who shrug and give a half assed answer before disappearing completely. They won't just point you to an aisle, they'll walk you there and give you all the information you need. There's definitely a home town mom and pop feel to the place.
It's amazing how they have everything and anything in such a small lot. I haven't really browsed the gift side but from what I've seen, it's like a Hallmark with all sorts of knicknacks and pretty things.
***update****
So this past weekend, I was on a search for a sprinkler to water my lawn and we headed over to Breed & Co. I had a vastly different experience than my prev experiences. The woman that helped us with our sprinkler selection recommended a fab sprinkler and gave us a very thorough demonstration. Apparently she owns the sprinkler she recommended and has owned it for three years, and if it hasn't been expressed enough, she loves it and now I love it.
Pros: Any place where I can buy wood screws and a Le Creuset dutch oven have two thumbs up from me.… Read more »
Last year when we got married, we were given a rather interesting Arthur Clark chip and dip tray that was thick aluminum and had bunnies carved on it. Since ... well, since the thing was covered in bunnies and that's just odd, we decided to take it back. It was purchased at Breed & Co. Despite not having a receipt, they gave us no hastle, no attitude, and a full refund, with which we purchased a gorgeous pitcher and bowl that we cherish. For what they sell, they have good prices.
On a perhaps TMI note, this is #1 of my Top 5 Emergency Poop locations. Private Stall, potpourri, air freshener, and a vent. The bathroom here is made for those times when you just ate a bunch of migas and drank half a pot of coffee, but you still have shopping to do in the area and are miles from any sort of privacy that this type of poop requires. For paying such attention to detail -Thumbs up!!
As a dude, I was a little hesitant to spend the afternoon at Breed and Co. I thought it was going to be a really boring, arts and crafts, grandma kind of store. ...... I couldn't have been more wrong. I had a really great time roaming all of the housewares at this place, and was unable to leave without spending 50 dollars on some cool new stuff. This place is really cool, not only because they have great kitchen, gardening, etc, but also because they are connected to a Hardware store. Its really a one stop shop. This place quickly turned from a errand to a destination...
Downside? You will be paying more than Target..... but supporting local business is more important!
When I need any hardware item at all I try to go to Breed's. The staff are truly helpful and it just feels like Austin in there. They have many little fuses and obscure items tough to find at any big box store, and prices are very fair.
Nice garden section, fountains, gifts etc.
The chocolate counter has some lovely treats as well.
I've never once shopped at Breed's and left feeling anything but completely satisfied.
How do I love the Breed and Co.
The little old men that always know where everything is. And somehow find the doohicky I need hidden in the corner. The service is without equal!
The chocolate oooh the chocolates... the lime curd and rum... I dream of it.
I can skip the nick knacks.
The year is 2004. Two of my college roommates stay with me on a road trip from South Carolina to Colorado. One roommate clogs my toilet. I don't have a plunger to remedy said problem, and due to the nature of this problem, we cannot stop laughing like crazy, because she's so embarrassed and trying to act like she isn't.
We head to Breed & Co for a plunger. One salesman tells me that my winter hat makes me look like a Martian as he leads us to the plungers. My friend snags a plunger, and we walk up to the front, and she stands still when she sees the cashier- he looks like Jesus, and she's really into slightly-hippie long brown hair types. She's in love.
She tries to act coy and demure while purchasing the plunger, but the two of us are laughing uncontrollably at her, trying to pick up a dude while buying toilet unclogging supplies.
We got home, wrote a limerick about our adventure on the plunger itself with a silver Sharpie, and then made it earn its keep. It worked like a charm. Thanks for the memories, Breed&Co, and thanks for fixing my toilet.
This review has been revised in light of rude service and no good excuse for it.
Recently tried to pick up some paint on a Sunday afternoon. They close at 5, got there by 20 til. At about 10 til, the employee in the Paint section refuses to reach 3 feet and grab a can of paint for me under the statement "we are closed" in spite of the fact there are still customers entering the store. After another polite request denied and a non-desire to bother with managers and other annoyances, decided to take paint-buying money elsewhere. Still purchased a couple of other essential items on the same trip, noted that the receipt was time-stamped 4:58 after waiting in line for a few minutes.
It is harsh to re-judge a place based upon one negative experience, but retail is a service business, and they provided a customer with a dis-service.
Email complaint to the store telling of the poor service was given no response.
_Previously_
Are you daunted by the rows and rows of things you do not know what to do with at Lowes and Home Depot? I am sick of going to a big department store sized hardware store looking for something simple and leaving an hour later empty handed and bewildered.
If you are not a contractor or DIY-freak and just want something simple and quickly, this is where you go to get the job done.
Breed is good. Excellent gift destination and cool location. But I have a little association issue. You know that UT guy who murdered his ex-girlfriend and then, like, cut her up or something adn then drove the Mexico with the current gf? I forget his name, which is not important and probably a good thing. But he bought his "tools" (shall we say) at Breed and I always think of that when I drive by. Will I buy gifts there, an occasional perenial? Yes.
I find this place snobby, pretentious and generally over-priced. This is one of the few places in Austin, where, if you dress like a slug, you're treated like one.
HOWEVER...they have great housewares. Despite the high prices and salty looks thrown my way, I really enjoy shopping here. I find stuff here that I just don't find anywhere else. It's one of the best places to shop for a gift when you don't know what to get someone. I just hate getting the feeling that if I don't look like I have lots of money to blow here, then I'm not going to get good customer service.
Truman Breed and his son Jeff and wife Ann run one of the best local businesses in Austin. The hardware section has the most helpful staff in town (RIP John Mackey). If you have a screw or glass or dowel question, ask for Phill. Wedgewood china, Waterford or Baccarat crystal? Any of the lovely ladies in housewares will happily assist you. THE place to go if you forgot your anniversary, have to install a sprinkler system, need to pick something from the bridal registry, and want to buy some Godiva chocolate for your tireless secretary, all in one stop.
I've got a few problems with this place, but I'm reviewing the whole store. I'm not sure why the garden place has been separated.
1. I'm a woman. I was utterly dismissed by one of the hardware staff when I asked for a certain gauge of copper wire. The guy said, "The arts and crafts section is over there." Translation: "Girl stuff is over there." I've gotten that sort of treatment a few times there.
2. The "chicks" and "dudes" arrangement of the store is also a little too glaring.
3. Expensive, and hardware selection isn't so hot.
Once a guy in the hardware section went totally out of his way to help me fix a problem. I mean...I left and came back several times. He attached my water filter to my sink from a distance. Impressive. Unfortunately he's not there anymore.
I love this store. It is a hardware and houseware store in one. The staff is incredible. I would recommend checking this store out if you are looking for a unique gift. For Valentine's Day they had amazing chocolates. Everyone loved them. They even wrapped them in the cutest boxes ever.
I stopped in here around Christmas time, because everyone in my workplace [Crate & Barrel] had told me that this was where I could find something for my mom AND my dad, all at once, without hitting a mall. Sounds great, I said.
I found the perfect Vera Bradley wallet to match my mom's purse, an awesome hand tool for my dad, a super cute picture frame for my grandma, treats for my dog, and delicious chocolates for me!
This store has so many different things packed under one roof. I was in there for over an hour just wandering around checking all the great stuff out. I wish I had a house to fix up so I could stop in at this store once a week.
I will for sure be back.
I love Breed and Co. and since it's on my bike route, I often stop by after class.
An earlier review mentioned the stark divide between the "girly" half of the store and the "man" (hardware) section. Well, I spend most of my time at Breed in the hardware section and I've never been dismissed or pointed to the homewares on the other side of the store. Usually when I go in there I know exactly what I want, and if I can't find it, I ask somebody else to tell me where it is. There's no shortage of employees asking me if I need help with anything. And if I go in not knowing exactly what it is that I need, somebody's always willing to help. There's a guy I've talked to who works in the gardening section who is awesome, and I seem to always have some nice, friendly side chat with the cashiers.
Eh, I was gonna give Breed only 4 stars and then I forgot why I didn't want to give it 5. So obviously, it wasn't an important enough complaint. 5 stars.
I love this store. There is no place I have seen that is quite like it and I think it would be a tough concept to repeat. However, it works marvelously in this little warehouse-type building near campus. When you enter, men...go to the left, women...go to the right. You will both be in heaven! There is a huge hardware selection and very helpful employees. However, the other side is where I like to spend my time.
They have a seriously huge selection of fine china (Neiman's quality), Faberge eggs, crystal, and other houseware and gifts. They have a section of chocolates and fudge. What else could a girl want? If you are a local, you have to check out this shop. It is worth a little extra money to make both sexes happy!
I
love
love
love
LOVE
Breed and Company!
You are a customer where customer service still exists - FABULOUS customer service!
If you have an older house and think you'll never find a replacement for that thing-a-mi-jig - it's here!
And oh my! They have to coolest stuff... it's like a toy joy for those that love to do home improvement and such.
On one side is that, on the other is a world of goodies and ooh and ahhs.
Did I mention how much I love it? Cause I do!
Helpful and Friendly
This place is so awesome. Like someone else has said - they've packed in almost all the Home Depot kind of necessities, plus a gift area where they sell cards and random gifty stuff? Then they have plants/flowers for sale outside. The staff is super helpful - I didn't need much help but I witnessed a guy getting some really good advice and the help was bending over backwards for him. Only downfall is I forget it's there and end up going to Home Depot when I could be going right down the street.
I'm a girl that shops in the guy side mostly. I've found that their prices are pretty comparable to Home Depot or Lowes for basic electronics and hardware. A quick price check a couple of years back showed that they have the cheapest key duplicating service in town. Yes, there are some very expensive items here, especially in the housewares area. But they're no more than you'd pay for those brands anywhere. The ordinary products are quite well priced, and the convenience can't be beat.
I usually visit during a project, so I'm wearing sweats and a t-shirt or something the like. And sometimes, frankly, after I've had to stop in the middle of a labor intensive project, I'm a little pungent and worse for the wear. I've never had a problem being ignored or treated badly by the salesmen. Last Christmas, I was planning to make a screen to go around the bottom of the Christmas tree to keep the cats out. I had thought about using chicken wire and painting it. When I got there, I found some absolutely gorgeous gold screening. At $8.00 a foot, it was a lot to spend on something that might or might not work. When I was debating how much of the chicken wire I'd need to make this work, the salesman came in and asked me what I needed. I explained what I was doing and said "I can paint the wire or something to make it look better. He went behind the table to the scrap bin and pulled out a 3' scrap of the gold mesh screen. "Someone had me trim this much off of their roll of screen. This would work great." He then slapped a tag of .75 on it.
When I tried to buy some shelving brackets from Home Depot, I ran into a lot of attitude from the Orange Vests who insisted I couldn't have put up the shelving system I had. I did, dude, and it's up on the wall, not even remotely unstable or wobbly. I used my own design, some acrylic cut by Alamo Glass, and the supplies from Breed & Co. Four clear acrylic shelves, 4' long 10" wide gave me a "china cabinet" for $55.00. Me & my 18.5V Black & Dekker cordless are shelving fiends. And we're going back to Breed's.
Breed maintains that old-school and/or European general hardware store ambiance - you'll find everything from fancy chinaware to hoses for your garden. Last I went, they were even selling Italian scooters right next to the Italian chocolates. I went there having been told that I could find a replacement carafe for my Krups automatic coffeemaker purchased in 2001. While they had quite a stock of replacement carafes, they didn't have mine.
They could have sold me a new coffeemaker - and truthfully, it would have been about the same cost as it turned out to get my replacement carafe. But the employee helping me was supportive of my desire to remain true to my old Krups (it's better for the environment, too, to throw one less gadget away!) and gave me a website (http://www.culinarypar...) where I could order my carafe.
Now that's old-school service.
The Good:
:: it's actually a hardware store (Ace Hardware) and a fancy store (Breed & Company). you can buy things you need like screws, nails, air filters, light bulbs, shower curtains, etc, and also shop for things like colanders, cutting boards, glasses, and such. nice to be able to one-stop shop
:: cute outdoor selection of various plants and flowers
:: the people that work there are very knowledgeable, albeit grumpy
:: small but sufficient. they sell things you would actually use, like barbecue grills and accessories, mailboxes, mops, trash cans, pots and pans, wine bottle openers, etc. terrific!!!
:: the location. it's tucked away off of 29th and guadalupe, and there is plenty of parking available
:: the Breed & Company side offers very fancy gift wrapping for a small price
The Bad:
:: the Ace Hardware side is kind of tight to maneuver around. very very tight aisles.
:: the Breed & Company side can be expensive
The Ugly:
:: none.
Would I go back? Definitely. I no longer need to go to places like Home Depot or Lowe's since I've found Breed & Company. Once again, bigger is not necessarily better, and this place is proof of that. I can get in and get out quickly, and that's a bonus for me.
This place is IN.
Neighborhood: Westlake Hills
Category: Nurseries & Gardening
Austin, TX
Category: Nurseries & Gardening
Austin, TX
Category: Nurseries & Gardening
Austin, TX
Category: Nurseries & Gardening
Neighborhood: 78704 (South Austin)
Category: Nurseries & Gardening
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