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Category: Hardware Stores [Edit]
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse SquareSat. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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Excellent neighborhood hardware store.
On my list of 10 things, they had 9. Very friendly, very helpful. It's great to know there is a place like this in the neighborhood.
Don't be afraid of the 1/2 dog 1/2 grizzly bear that lives there - he is nice.
This is just a great hardware store. They carry most everything and I have never struggled to find whatever it is that I am looking for. The only downsides are the price (a little steeper than your warehouse hardware store - but still reasonable) and that they close at 3pm on the weekend. I know that everything in Philadelphia shuts down on Sunday so I should be thankful for the 3pm close. However, Sunday is kind of a big day for dealing with household things so a 5pm close would be greatly appreciated.
Also, the owner (the "perfect man" as he is referred to among the women I know) has a pretty kickass and chill massive dog. Although he (the dog) has off one day during the week, I think Wednesdays. So be sure to visit when everyone is accounted for!
I'm so glad this place is in the neighborhood. Everyone is so helpful (almost overbearingly so). I went to get some WD-40 for my bike chain and when I told the guy what I was going to use it for he suggested something better.
Bonus for you dirty hippies: They have reusable bags and will give you a discount if you use them again.
Right now, they're a bit expensive but if I need something I can't find at the Dollar Store. I'll go here.
Extremely helpful and excellent customer service. I only needed a single tool to do a quick job at home and instead of selling a whole set of tools, they were so nice they actually let me try out the one tool and 2 different sizes without any charge.
I'm definitely gonna be back to stock up on other household needs in the future.
Guys who work here are swell gents. Really helpful. Know their stuff. Good prices compared to other local hardware shops. Good selection too.
I love hardware stores. I love Rittenhouse Hardware store. This little neighborhood store is packed to the rafters with all sorts of useful things. Previously, I had searched the city for a sturdy step stool at a decent price (including places like KMart) and ended up back in my own 'hood: Not only was it sturdy, it was a good price AND it had a safety release button - none of the other stores could say that. My recent trip was for a few odds and ends - including ice cube trays and a small bucket - and they had everything I needed and I spent only $8 for a (new) bucket full of stuff.
The staff here is also great. As an earlier reviewer mentioned, they're very friendly and helpful without hovering. I have to confess, though, that my favorite thing about the place is the overall atmosphere -- the combination of the old and new. At it's heart, it's an old-school hardware store, with the old wood floors and all, but it also has an urban edge in the shape of a couple of heavily tattooed staffers who are friendly, helpful and know their merchandise. I love it ... oh, and I've also gotten a decent cheesesteak recommendation from them.
This place is incredible. I know I can always go here and find what I need. Seriously. I've gotten things here that they don't have at Home Depot. And I like Home Depot.
This place is a staple for this area.
I love this store. There's a dog the size of a bear, and a staff that's helpful and friendly without ever hovering.
It's also remarkably well stocked for what looks like, on the outside, a small store. And the staff will go out of their way to accommodate your needs; when I wanted a dozen half-pint canning jars and could only find six, they let me pay for the dozen and said that I could pick up the other six in two days. I was convinced they wouldn't remember who I was, but sure enough, as soon as I got to the cash register on Friday, I had barely begun to describe my situation when the guy working the cash register (not the same guy as the one I'd spoken to a few days earlier) said 'yup' and pulled down the reminder about the jars that had been tacked above the register. Seriously, I can't find service this personable or kind anywhere else.
I want to do more things around the house just so I have more excuses to come here and have cute and friendly menfolk explain to me exactly what I need and why. I'm not kidding. I make up excuses to come here and ask questions, and plan on continuing. Who knew I could get so much joy from a hardware store?
There is never a type of store that exemplifies the debate between large stores and small stores like hardware stores.
Lowes and Home Depot suck when it comes to getting anything besides lumber, appliances, and toilets. Do you need a circlip remover? These places, despite their size, only have one and it's super expensive.
Local Hardware stores can be a mixed bag. They might have what you need, they might not. On top of that, the dusty antiquated good you need is super expensive as the four dudes working there need to pay their mortgage. And frankly, the service can be down right creepy and invasive.
This place, is neither. I needed a metric screw, nut, and two washer. Not only did they have it but pointed me in the direction. Once I put said goods on the counter and recited the prices, they insisted that I just give them 50¢. The store seemed very compact but extremely organized. Overall, a nice little neighborhood hardware store. Way to go!
They have a giant bull mastiff(?)!!!!!!!!
It's seriously the sweetest (both in manner and awesomeness) dog ever!
Everyone that works here has a heart of gold and is super helpful.
Let's face it, I'm a girl. How am I supposed to know what kinds of tools I need to fix stuff? I have a pink toolset for christ's sake.
These guys make everything easy for me and I've never left there with something that I haven't used.
They even gave me a student discount last time (even though I'm hella old and not a student)!
Sure, it's more expensive than Lowes but what do you expect from a small store in the Rittenhouse Square area, they have to cover their ground rent/mortgage.
I've always found the staff here to be extremely helpful. When I walk in there and suggest some kind of ridiculous fix I am trying to do, they politely suggest different ways of doing things. They do it without seeming condescending as well, which is quite a talent (especially considering how stupid my ideas generally are). I don't think I would have the self control not to call me an idiot.
Lowes and Home Depot will always end up being my stop if I am doing something major but whenever I need little bits and pieces, it's Rittenhouse Hardware every time.
For someone who knows only the very basics in home repair and is only mildly DIY capable, this place is indispensable. I can't tell you how many times I've walked in here thinking I know exactly what I need only to find out that it's not what I needed at all - these guys are great. Many times they've even steered me to cheaper options. Once I even walked out without buying a thing because they showed me a way to fix a problem that didn't involve any purchases.
An added bonus is Brody, the calm, sweet-faced mastiff. Be sure to check out his puppy picture at the cash register - it's Brody divided by 100.
It's definitely handy to have a hardware store within walking distance of southwest Center City. I'd called ahead of time to make sure they carried mesquite wood chips and the guy who answered the phone was pretty friendly. Not surprisingly, though, there aren't many choices on inventory.
They also sharpen knives, but not while you wait. Plan on dropping off your knife and then picking it up the next day. No biggie.
Well, me and the "Rittenhouse Hardware" go back to my first day living in Philadelphia. I ran out to this place on my move in day to get a tool to assemble some furniture.
This place is really quaint on the inside with stuff sorted all the way to the ceiling. I have found that the staff is very friendly and helpful, although, I've never asked for real fixer upper questions.
The downsides to this place are that they know their location (Rittenhouse) and charge way too much for almost everything in the store. It kills me to have to pay 2x the price of what I normally would pay at Home Depot or even my hometown local hardware store in Glastonbury, CT. I remember having to buy a large sponge (among other things) to clean my walls and they were selling one for $7! This thing goes for $4 tops at any other place (including supermarkets).
In addition, they stock a lot of hardware stuffs, but they lack a lot of necessities that people just moving in or that urban dwellers need for their apartments. I asked why they didn't carry things for the kitchen or bathroom and they said that "they didn't want to be that kind of store".
To me, that's like opening a convenience store in the middle of a desert and saying "we don't carry drinks of any kind." They are one of the only games in town at this end of Rittenhouse and they force people to go out to Target to get necessities. What do you think I'm doing in my 1 BDRM apartment? Building a deck? (Most likely I'm just trying to hang up a shower curtain).
I will say that recently they rearranged their store so the floor space is much better utilized. If you are looking for HARDWARE and household fix up stuff, this place is clean, friendly, and well stocked. Regardless of price, I shop here because they normally have just what I need and they're close enough that the price is almost worth it.
The sink is stopped up in Center City, so where do you go? You could go to CVS; but they'll mysteriously be missing essential items for your little project - like plungers.
So I wandered over to Rittenhouse Hardware to see what they could do for me. The service was great, especially compared to the large national hardware chains. That was probably because the Employee to Customer ratio at Rittenhouse was nearly infinite. When I first walked in I thought to myself, "wow, a lot of people needed to unclog their sinks this fine Thursday afternoon." Then I realized all 5 of the people in the store were working there.
Someone immediately asked me what I needed as I started wandering around, and he ultimately guided me to the right kind of plunger to unclog my sink - including advice about stopping up the overflow drain so that my plunging efforts wouldn't be completely futile. Not only that, they had no fewer than 3 kinds of plungers, in the words of the guy helping me, "from cheap to expensive." Once he knew I was working on a sink he recommended, "the cheap one."
Yes, the prices are a bit steeper than you'll see in the 'burbs so it's not perfect. This place is walking distance from center city though, so I'm not sure you can complain too much. They also do seem to be in a permanent state of rearranging the store. Depending on what you are looking for, it might be nicely arranged on the wall or just in a pile of junk on the floor. I recommend simply asking someone for help and they'll have your water draining again in no time.
I'm kind of shocked to read about Andrew's experience here. I absolutely love this place... and on an equal note, I despise corporate hardware.
I am the farthest guy on earth from Tim "the tool man" status, so when I come in here, I depend on the staff to help me, which they always have. I've never needed to special order anything, but I'm still not convinced that that's impossible.
For such a small space, this place has everything I ever need... and I keep coming back. I'd even go as far as to say that I'd pay more here than I would at a big chain, but I don't even really think that's the case. I say nothing but good, and I started going cause others told me just the same.
Given that it's in Center City, this place has a good selection. I had trouble finding some ant traps for my brother (CVS doesn't stock them until the summer apparently).
Quite possibly one of the worst hardware stores ever. With the big boxes likes Lowes and Home Despot offering poor service, you'd expect your local hardware store to compete on selection and service. Well, that's not the case here. Store doesn't carry a selection of even the basics for a city resident (no mail slots, tiny selection of circuit breakers, almost no hardware - buts/blots/brackets/etc). Staff is unwilling to order items + not knowledgeable in even the simplest home repairs. Unfortunately, if you need hardware in this neighborhood, look elsewhere.
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Neighborhood: Washington Square West
Category: Hardware Stores
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Hardware Stores
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