Wanamaker Hardware True Value

Truly a great hardware store with a greater than great staff. If you need advice on ANY project or product they are the way to go. Believe it or not but sometimes their prices are better than Home Depot and it is a heck of a lot nicer experience. Shop local before we have nothing but box stores.

I have been here twice and it’s a fine store with a friendly staff.
What really set them apart from other stores in the area recently was their unusually complete selection of lamp sockets, so I thought I would mention that in a review in case it helps others who are looking for similar parts.
I was in need of a special kind of lamp socket which supports two circuits but which is not intended to be used with a 3-​way type bulb. I was rewiring a vintage kids’ lamp that has a normal light bulb fixture at the socket, as well as a smaller «night light» lamp wired into the base of the lamp.
I had done the research online to know more or less what I was looking for, but started striking out in the local stores. I tried TAGS in Davis Square first, because I was over there. They had a terrible selection of only 2 or 3 types of sockets. Then I tried RW Shattuck in Arlington Center, which had many more types but still didn’t have what I was looking for and furthermore seemed unaware of the possibility that such a product exists.
I was about to give up hope when I stopped in to Wanamaker’s. To be honest I don’t think they understood the product any more than Shattuck, so it was good that I came in to the store because I wouldn’t have gotten confirmation about what I was looking for without browsing. So what set Wanamaker’s apart from the other stores is they feature this large case of sockets and it seems to be stocked by default with a huge variety of sockets and related parts. They even had some «interior» parts for some socket types, in case you wanted to just replace the inside without the socket shell.
I was very happy to find the part, and a replacement power wire, so I could get to the task of rewiring my son’s lamp before bedtime that night.

A real asset to the neighborhood.
Wanamaker was very helpful when I did renovations moving into my house in 1983. Over the years since, they continue to be there for the recurring needs and the unusual ones.
Somewhere during those years I crossed a certain line, the day that I bought another pair of grass shears because I couldn’t find my pair in my basement. Wanamaker’s is a place that has a lot of stuff AND people whose job it is to know where it all is.
Yesterday I called them to ask if they sold Irwin EX-​2 screw extractors; this specialty tool is what Internet sources told me I needed to remove a bolt I had broken off in my bicycle. On the phone, Wanamaker said they had it, and when I showed up at the store, I found that not only did they have just the brand and size I wanted, but, they had several sizes, and I didn’t have to buy a whole set to get just one, and pricing was reasonable.

The place if OK for normal household hardware needs, but it’s too small. Rarely has any hard-​to-​find stuff. As to the service, certainly better than any big-​box store but a little bit of impatience if you are more ignorant of the products than they would like.

I walked in and received immediate help from a knowledgeable source. The are kind and respectful. I love this store. No kidding. This is my new go to.

it makes me sad to write this, but after 13 years in Arlington, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is just not a great hardware store.
The people are friendly and helpful, and the location is convenient if you live in the Heights, but that’s all it’s got going for it.
The final straw came for me today when I found an identical item across town at Shattucks for 20% less. Serves me right for not comparing prices more often, but I think this indicates that Wanamaker’s assumes that their customers won’t bother to check.
Previously, while the staff has always been friendly and helpful, some of the products I’ve bought there have just been kind of crappy. In a store this small, I don’t see how they have the room to stock inferior merchandise (socket wrenches that don’t grip properly, extension cords that don’t hold the metal tines in place, etc.).
Bottom line, this won’t be my «first stop» hardware store any more.

I love this hardware store! The staff are extremely friendly and helpful, and are happy to answer questions and help you out.
They’ll take the time to talk things through with you, help you make sure you are approaching a project in a sensible way, and never make you feel like you’ve asked a dumb question.

I hate to diss a local business, but since going to my first hardware store when I was 4 or 5 with my Grandad, this is the lamest one I’ve ever been too. It’s so small that there’s not much of a selection. And the clerks are of little help – last time I went there, I wanted «blue ice packs» (those blue oblong things you freeze in your freezer & put into coolers).
The clerk at the counter told me they were «upstairs». Not knowing where the «upstairs» was, I wandered towards the back, & went up a set of stairs. It was an office/​store-​room area. Came back down the stairs, went back to the clerk, who then pointed me to the stairs in the front (??). Went up there, where there’s only a small selection of stuff like cleaning supplies that you could mainly get at any Walgreens. No clerk to help, & no blue ice packs.
That’s typical of my experiences there. I am spoiled by going to the HD in Waltham, where they have almost EVERYTHING, & when you can find a clerk, they’re usually helpful. (Trekking around a HD can also turn into a cross between a scavenger hunt & The Bataan Death March, but again, they do have EVERYTHING). OTOH, If you want a good local hardware store, try the Hillside Garden & True Value in Belmont – 20 times the selection of Wanamaker, & a lot more helpful. Oh yeah, the ACE hardware store in Lexington seemed good also, the times I’ve been there.
On the plus side of this store… if all you want are some leaf bags, or fuses, simple stuff, & you can find it w/​o being sent on a wild goose chase by the clerk, this one will do.

Based on the customer service of their store manager, I recommend going elsewhere for your home/​garden supplies. I try to support local/​small business as much as possible, but unfortunately there is anything but a «customer first» mentality here. There are a few other similar stores nearby that I’d highly recommend

Fabulous local hardware store; great range of items, from useful household things to serious tools. Two floors. Housewares (jelly jars! curtain rods! mops! footstools!) on the second floor. Yard stuff (leaf bags! lawnmowers! birdfeeders! gardening gloves! hoes, rakes, snowshovels!) and tools on the ground floor.
And a really helpful staff that would rather have a satisfied customer than a sale. Went in their with my son who wanted to buy his uncle a present — his uncle has every tool under the son. Kindly sales clerk recommended a gift certificate, but spent a good 20 minutes going over possible options: what every uncle would love to have… Uncle ended up having what we chose already, and they took the return with no complaints.
I know nothing about tools or hardware, but I’ve been satisfied with the price and performance of everything I’ve ever bought here. And EVERYONE who works here is friendly — from the teenage part-​time staff to the career-​employees.
It is true that they close at 2 on Sundays, and I’ve occasionally stood in front of the door and cursed them at 2:05, but what’s wrong with a good store that’s also a humane employer? Nothin’.

I love that I can walk to such a great hardware store. This is a real and proper hardware store with drill bits, paint, ant bait, furniture pads, etc, etc. They also have some great and useful home stuff on the second floor like grill stuff, shades, storage bins, and shelf liners. The staff is friendly and helpful to boot. We’ve been in here quite a bit lately for home improvement projects and have a really good experience every time.

I live in the neighborhood and have consistently good experiences with them. Fair prices, decent selection, and usually generous with advice if you can track down one of the grown-​ups (though the student workers are always very cheerful). Good reputation for standing behind what they sell, too.

It’s always nice to get old fashioned, friendly service like you get at Wanamaker. While relatively small, they seem to have almost everything that you could ever need. Great store, great service

Great store with just about anything that you need. The staff are very friendly and always willing to help. Last week I bought a very cheap outdoor dining set (elsewhere), but when I put it together, I was missing two nuts. So I took the bolts to Wanamaker, and within 5 minutes and 90 cents later, I had the nuts and put my table together.
It’s very handy having a HW store locally, and I like supporting local businesses. My only gripe is that they are often closed when I want to go (they close early on Sunday and at 6 during the week).

Wanamaker’s has everything you’d want in a hardware store and great customer service to boot. They mixed me up the perfect shade of eggplant to paint a bookshelf. The prices aren’t atrocious and if you live in Arlington, Arlmont or Arlington Heights, as far as hardware goes, this place is as good as any big box home store around.

for a small hardware store this place is great! They are pretty friendly, have most everything you need for your weekend projects. I really like the staff here too. There are a bunch of high school boys who don’t know much, so just ask the other «grown-​ups» and they know everything!
They are also pretty cheap for what they sell!
Of course Home Depot and Loews will always get a bunch of my business unwillingly, but they have everything you need under, on and including the kitchen sink. (sorry bad pun, but had to use it. I am delirious from inhaling paint fumes for 2 days strait.)
I like supporting the smaller business over the large chain when I can, and these guys deserve it big time!
plus this place has one of the coolest retro storefronts ever!