Kraemer’s True Value Hardware

When I first moved to Minnetonka, I was delighted to find a small, local hardware store less than three blocks away.
See, I’m a small-​town guy originally, and the smell of a hardware store is not only intoxicating to me, but really comforting, too. In my little hometown, the hardware store was the hub of activity — it was nice to see Kraemer’s had a similar vibe.
I’ve made many purchases here, but particular standouts include:
1. Enough live plants to fill my garden
2. Perennials — they put them on a huge sale (think 50−75% off!) at the end of the season so your garden can be beautiful the following year
3. Various tools — including a hammer, screwedrivers, and a small power saw
4. Pesticide to kill yard bees in my front yard
The employees at this shop are outstanding — most are younger and live in the area. Don’t let their ages fool you, though — they know the store really, really well.
The new location of Kraemer’s — across the street from their old location as of Dec. 2012 — is clean, welcoming, organized, and has just as much merchandise as the previous one.
Here’s what compelled me to write a review for this store, though. One time, I was in the midst of a yard work frenzy, and my weed eater battery ran down. I went to Kraemer’s to buy a new battery charger as I’d misplaced my old one. They didn’t have the charger I needed, but offered to order it for me. I mentioned that I was trying to get all my yard work done that day, and the helpful employee said, «We have a charger for our tools that we use here in the store. We can charge your battery here, and you can come back and get it later at no cost.»
Seriously. That actually happened. I came back two hours later, my battery was charged, and they wished me good luck finishing up my yard.
Now *THAT* is good service, and something you probably wouldn’t get at a big, DIY store.