Houseproud Of Morningside

I visited this store today (16th July, 2021) and found the assistant, a middle-aged man, particularly unpleasant when I made the mistake of standing in the wrong place in the queue.

In my opinion, there is no need for this kind of boorish behaviour; when we are paying more than we have to in these small shops, we are surely entitled to basic courtesy, to say the least.

In conclusion, I certainly won't be shopping there again and imagine I am not the only one to have come to this decision.

I live locally and always support local businesses where I can. As a result I have shopped regularly in this store, which is well stocked. The staff are generally very helpful and friendly. There is one member of staff who seems to have the knack of rubbing people up the wrong way, who was particularly unhelpful to me one day recently, so I posted a ¹⁄₅ review on Unilocal in frustration. The following day, the owner of the business made contact with me, sorted out the refund I had previously been refused and was friendly, helpful and said she was grateful for the review as it helps them improve their service! So hats off to her and I’m now also saved the bother of finding myself a new hardware store to shop at.

This is a really nice shop full of everything you could want or need for your home. Friendly people and full of locals, clearly a part of the community in Morningside.

Good hardware stores are a rare breed these days. Good hardware stores that sell a range as extensive as Houseproud of Morningside are like dodo eggs. From compost to pans, screwdrivers to bird tables they have it all.
Split into two parts, the left hand side sells all the things you’d expect to find in a hardware store and more. They have a nifty garden section, selling pots, trowels, compost, bird tables among other things. They also have the usual range of tools, light bulbs. All the things you’ll ever need. The right hand side is dedicated to kitchen products, and they have a huge range. I bought myself a hand blender from there which, at £20, was a little on the expensive side but not too overpriced.
Given this place is an independent shop in an affluent area of Edinburgh you can expect to pay a little more than you would in a major chain. However, the staff are engaging and helpful and the plethora of products makes it worth a visit next time you run out of tea towels.

This shop is pretty well split into two sections: you have your gardening and DIY section and you have the cooking section. The cooking section is the most impressive section I’ve seen in Edinburgh and the value of the items is very good. You have a large variety of high quality pans and you only have to pick them up and take a good look at them to see the quality. They are also all reasonably priced, which is a rare find. There may be a few items which you might be able to pick up slightly cheaper at a Sainsburys or Tescos, but generally the prices are competitive.
The DIY section is where this shop really stands out. You simply do not get many good value DIY tools and parts any more other than in this shop. I’ve been round everywhere trying to find something that will not cost me an arm and a leg and till I found this shop I always gave in and bought it online. Buying it from here, however, is even cheaper as you do not pay all the postage and packaging. A great DIY shop that does what it says on the tin.

I have always found that good DIY stores, outside of the major chains, are hard to find in Edinburgh. Houseproud of Morningside are the exception to this rule. Situated on Morningside Road in a visible on-​road location, they stand head and shoulders above all others I have tried in the city.
As DIY shops go, they stock pretty much everything you would expect to find. From paints to Polyfilla, screwdrivers to sandpaper, they cover all the bases.
I’ve visited this store on two occasions. Firstly, I went to pick up some expanding foam to fill in mouse holes in the flat. Not knowing exactly what I was looking for, I asked the assistance of a member of staff. He helpfully pointed out to me all of the different things they offered, showing a range of prices and uses. He helped me to find the product that was ideal for what I needed it for, and didn’t automatically go for the hard sell on the most expensive.
The second occasion was to buy a bradawl — something that is like a screwdriver, but has a point on the end rather than a screw head. Whilst this time I didn’t need help finding it, the shop assistant at the counter still engaged me in some light-​hearted chat whilst I was paying.
It’s these sort of things that I really appreciate in a small shop like this. They don’t view customers as more money for the tills, but engage with you as a person. I will definitely be using this place again, as it saves a trip out of town to one of the larger chain stores. This shop is a must for all your Morningside DIY needs!