All About Walnut Creek Hardware Stores

 

 

Hardware stores (in a number of countries, "shops"), sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household appliances for home improvement including: fasteners, building materials, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing , electrical supplies, cleaning products , household appliances, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for home or busine use. Many hardware stores have specialty departments that are unique to their region or to the interests of their owners. 

 

These departments include hunting and fishing supplies, plant and nursery products, marine and boating supplies, pet food and supplies, farm and ranch supplies, including animal feed, swimming pool chemicals, home-brewing supplies and canning supplies. The five biggest hardware retailers in the world are The Home Depot, Lowe's (both in the United States), Kingfisher of the United Kingdom, Obi of Germany, and Leroy Merlin of France.

 

Larger hardware stores may sell small amounts of building supplies, including lumber, flooring , roofing and fencing. Such stores are often referred to as home improvement centers or home centers.

 

There may be fewer hardware stores in the U.S. than in previous years, but according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were still 14,300 hardware stores in the U.S. in 2005, with an average of 10 employees each. Even in the face of competition from large chain stores (commonly referred to as big-box or destination hardware stores, e.g. The Home Depot, Lowe's and Menards), new hardware stores in the U.S. are still open all the time.

 

There are four major national wholesale suppliers to hardware stores in the U.S. All four report more than $1 billion (US dollars) in annual sales. Three of them operate as retail cooperatives: Do It Best Corp, Fort Wayne Indiana, True Value Company, Chicago Illinois, and Ace Hardware, Oakbrook Illinois. Hardware store owners purchase stocks from these suppliers and are "members" and "owners" as well as customers. In the advertised name of the store, a hardware store may choose to include the name of the cooperative.

 

The fourth national supplier is Orgill, Inc., a traditional wholesale organization that does not operate as a cooperative.

 

Hardware stores also purchase from a wide range of regional wholesalers and specialty manufacturers. Some hardware stores operate the rental business as part of the primary business and rent for public use building tools and/or party supplies. Major hardware cooperatives provide brand name rental advertising and support to hardware store owners including Just Ask Rental, Party Central, Grand Rental Station and Taylor Rental, all four of which are brands owned by True Value Company.

 

Elwood Adams Hardware of Worcester , Massachusetts, claims to be the oldest hardware store in the United States, having started business in 1782.

​