Cole Hardware

Gotta love Cole hardware. They got pretty much everything you need here so you don’t have to drive outta the city to lowes/​Home Depot to buy a simple screw or something. The only thing that could be better is the employees attitudes. None of them seem like they want to be there.

Local shops like these and the people that work there are the reason I always try to come here before going any where else.
I stopped in this week during their «Happy Hour», which included free wine, chocolate, cupcakes, and 50% off any item under $ 30. Beings that there was a great deal going on, I found it essential to grab a new swell bottle!
The staff here is always top of the line. They’re friendly, but not overly friendly where you feel like you’re overwhelmed. It’s one of those places you can walk in to and the staff will talk to you and make you feel like you’re a long lost friend. They always look out for your best interest and put themselves in your shoes — working with you to get the best bang for your buck, while making sure what you buy will be the right thing. I spoke with Rick and a gal named AnaDalia; both were top notch and a lot of fun to interact with. It’s like showing up to your families hardware store and everyone is having a good time! Seems like a great place to work and most likely because of the awesome people working there.
Thanks for all the help!

Sam was super duper helpful with me. He found a screw that was perfect for a project I was building. Would never have been able to do this on my own. Thanks!

Great little neighborhood shop! I got my keys made and I purchased a tomato plant at the same time! In the Spring they boast a decent selection of plant starts, and a variety of types of tomato plants which I greatly appreciate. I was able to pick up «Sweet 100’s» a delectable variety of cherry tomato. The shop also has the expected tools and hardware, even for being so small. An unfortunate gentleman behind me was solely buying a plunger. Good luck to him!

I live down the block from this place and they are always there when I need something on the spot. Whether that be nuts and bolts for a project, kitchenware, tools, you name it. The staff is super helpful and friendly too! This is what a neighborhood hardware store should be.

love these dudes. im always lost in this place and they always guide me. good looking out. also thanks for making me super cute pretty keys with stars and lightning bolts

They have everything you need and the staff is over-​the-​top helpful.

If you ever need help at this location, ask for Danny. He’s my go to guy at this store, he’s very knowledgable and helpful with information. It’s a great neighborhood hardware store and I find the staff at this location much more friendly and helpful than the downtown location. I get anything from getting keys made, to paint, to orchid bark from this great, neighborhood hardware store.

Better canning and plant selection than other hardware stores in the area. The staff is super nice. Plus they occasionally have ‘bag’ sales!

Love love love Cole Hardware. They are so helpful and knowledgeable.

This review is about Danny. I always look for him now because he cares about all my little projects and KNOWS his stuff. He has a lot of personality as well which makes him fun to talk to.

I’m from the South, where you kind of just drive to Lowe’s for your hardware needs, because it’s usually the closest option. Cole Hardware is the kind of sweet little store that SHOULD exist in any small Southern town. It has an awesome corner store feel, stocks all of your basic hardware needs including electric and plumbing, and someone is always happy to help. They have really great homecare lines like Caldrea, too. I’ve started going here vs. Walgreens for stuff like Rit fabric dye — if it goes in your home, they probably have it. Stuff isn’t generally super cheap, but tools and hardware stuff is on par with what you’d find at a big box store, and customer service is a jillion times better.
Parking can be kind of a bummer, since it’s on upper Polk, but you can generally find something, especially after work.

I gave the store 3 stars because I like the store in general. But I didn’t appreciate the attitude and being snapped at by the cashier AnaDelia for simply asking her a question because the staff is generally so nice and helpful.

This Cole’s location is one of my favorite, though most Cole’s in San Francisco have amazing staff members. Recently, I needed a mail box key duplicated. I took the original to Cole’s on Polk. First and second attempts at creating a functioning duplicate failed. However, on the third attempt, Rick promised to get it right, SUCCESS! Returning the two failed keys was incredibly simple. Though I had the receipt, as a member, the receipt was not required. I highly recommend becoming a member as it simplifies returns and exchanges.

This well-​stocked neighborhood hardware store is so helpful! Not only opened and figured out what battery I needed in a small device, but let me use their tiny screwdriver to install it. In and out in 5 minutes: problem solved. (Greeted the minute I walked in by not one but TWO staffers asking, can I help you?)

For a relatively small space, Cole really packs in a lot of merchandise. As important, I have never met a friendlier or more knowledgeable staff. I always get the help I need to solve whatever problem I am working on. Just wish we had a Cole Hardware in North Beach but it is always worth the drive.

Amazing staff and will help you get whatever you need and explain it.
I would avoid Brownies (lower polk) at all cost and would go to Cole instead! Go to Brownies if you want an old white man to be rude and refuse to help you find anything.

This is an honest-​to-​goodness old time hardware store, the kind with lots of knowledgeable clerks and good service, a paper newsletter (and a loyalty program), they’ll order something for you if you want it. Because of the relatively small size it’s cramped in there, they don’t carry as many bulky items, and you might have to reach high or stoop. But it does have a pretty good selection. It gives off a very positive feeling of being well-​run.

I’ve lived in the neighborhood 4 years and except for the 1^st time, every other visit to Cole’s has been a pain. The folks that work there have a penchant for ignoring people. They’re also generally unfriendly. Here are the incidents i can remember:
— i was there with a male friend and the older male worker completely ignored me and spoke only to male friend … even though i was asking the questions.
— i asked for help at the counter getting a specific type of lightbulb and the lady said she will get someone to help me. 10 minutes later, i was still standing there. When i asked her again, she shrugged and said everyone must be busy.
— Went to get keys duplicated and the guy shaping keys looked up, saw me, went back to what he was doing without acknowledgement. When i asked rather politely if he could help us, he grunted. Finally another employee came by and offered help.
I’ve been going to Brownies even though it’s further away for me. The store is huge and the employees have a Much better attitude.

I love this place. They are always very friendly and helpful. They have a great selection as well!

Everything you could ask for in a hardware store. Good selection and the staff is friendly. Reasonable prices although you could get cheaper at Home Depot (which is not anywhere close by). One star knocked off because there was some happy hour promotion being advertised and I only found out after I paid (from the cashier). You could have told me that earlier –_–

The older Asian guy that works there (Danny) is very rude. My girlfriend and I walked in, found a color we wanted and asked him how we could get that particular shade. He immediately said «What you mean!!! We mix paint!» My girlfriend then said «OK how do I get this particular shade? I’m trying to buy this from you?» And Danny replied with «Just tell me what you want and it gets mixed. Pretty simple.»
We left and went to Brownies up the street where the people were very nice and helpful. Cole is very close to our home and has been a go-​to spot for us in the past. After this I’ll never go to Coles again while that Danny guy works there.

Tl;dr version: Has all the hardware you need to build or maintain a house with amazingly friendly customer service
—
«Do any of yoos… know why I called this meeting?» you ask to the upper echelon of the powerful San Francisco based crime syndicate you run.
They all slowly shake their heads from side to side, eyes obediently pegged to you. «F@#$%^ng mutts,» you think to yourself. Gently place the gold-​plated, jewel encrusted Desert Eagle .45 you had won from Dollar Bill in an all-​night game of poker in the Outer Sunset five years ago on the table.

Give it a spin.
«Gentlemen,» you say, while the pistol is spinning and you are pausing to take a drag of your 1959 Ramon Allones Tubos cigar, another item of cherish that you took from Dollar Bill on that fateful night. «It looks like we have a rat.»
«It wasn’t me Capo, I swear it wasn’t!» Espresso Joey bursts out screaming, jumping out of his seat, fanatical. «I didn’t tell those pigs nothing, nothing I swear to you!»
You were talking about the mouse you saw earlier in the kitchen but you decide to see where this goes.
«He who smelt it dealt it,» you muse to yourself, quoting your favorite Greek philosopher, Aristotle.
«That’s interesting my boy,» you say. «So you have been talking to the cops then?»
«Ok Don Cheeto, I talked to them once… maybe twice! They came after me, I swear! I aignt say nothing though. I told them to go jump in a pile of slop, those f@#$%ng pigs!»
«Ok Joey, I believe you, calm down,» you tell him. «Let’s shake on it, make everything all right.» When he extends his right hand in an act of forgiveness clench it and put your cigar out in the middle of his palm. Hold it there regardless of how loud he is screaming, until the fire is completely suffocated; flesh scorched.
Beckon Crocodile Craig to come near. «Crocodile Craig,» you pronounce in an upbeat tone. «Now Crocodile Craig, what happens to snitches?»
«They get stiches, boss,» he says sheepishly, lowering his head sadly. You would think that at 6’3″ and roughly 250lbs of solid muscle, Crocodile Craig would be able to be a bit more intimidating. You know he’s not the brightest of the bunch, but still, it annoys you. «Go pet a f@#$%ng rabbit why don’t you Lenny!» you angrily quip to yourself.
Since you’ve only been the head of a mafia family for the past two weeks, you’re still trying to get accustomed to all of the inside gangster lingo. You silently curse yourself for never having seen a single Godfather movie. «Crocodile Craig, put Joey in sea-​man boots and make him sing with the fishes!» you announce. You’re pretty sure those are things that happen in these situations.
Crocodile Craig shrugs his shoulders and proceeds to hit Joey on the top of the head with a hammer, killing him. It’s at this point that you realize that the fantasy role playing board game you were playing with your roommates, «Mafia & Mayhem» (a rules-​heavy board game system blatantly ripped off of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons), has spiraled wildly out of control.
As the Capo (aka dungeon master), you take full responsibility for your roommates death. Since you’ve never really cared much for Joey, put his body next to the trash cans in the kitchen and dump it later. You’ve got bigger problems then that right now. There’s an actual rat (mouse) in your house!
Go to Cole Hardware!
«Fact is stranger than fiction,» you mutter to yourself, quoting Bob Dylan and reflecting on how the duality of a real and made up rat led to your roommates untimely death, as you search vigorously through the wide variety of pest, varmint, and gremlin repellents they offer. You marvel at the infinite selection of any tool or piece of material you could ever need to either create or build a house. The customer service is unmatched, you note.
Crocodile Craig reaches for a box of sticky traps. «Too easy,» you whisper as you swat his hand away. «I need to set an example,» you continue. That’s when you see the selection of steam irons they carry…

Nice hardware store in Russian Hill. I live close by and decided to stop in since the other hardware stores in the area do not carry plants. Great selection for a small store.

Crammed to the ceiling, they have most things you’ll need. Plenty of employees around to help you if you can’t find it, or, in my case, can’t reach it.
Prices are very fair and it’s a great neighborhood store I’m happy to frequent.
And the always-​changing, cute and quirky window displays? Five stars for sure.
Oh, and open til 8 pm? Definitely a bonus.

I’ve been here many times since my last review, and the experience is always positive. Some highlights;
— They helped me pick out and prepare paint. The man was able to answer all of my paint related questions and clearly knows his stuff.
— They had the ladybugs I needed for my plants.
— They have a wide variety of mason jars.

In the past few weeks since moving to the neighborhood, I’ve visited Cole Hardware with such odd requests as «what can I sew easily into a shower curtain to better weight it down» — answered, effectively, and cheaply.
In addition to helping me with supplies a bunch of minor electrical repairs (3 for 1 on electrical tape special, woo!), understanding ancient San Franciscan fuseboxes, and having just about anything I could ever need in a local hardware store (seriously, they are well-​stocked) — these folks are just downright friendly. From the older employees’ experience and willingness to share to the younger employees who just want to be friendly, this is a pleasant place to do business.
It’s been a long time since I have had that local hardware store feel, pretty much ever since I started living in big cities. I’ve gotta say, I missed it.
Also, for those who need a random piece of telephony or Cat6 cable stat without having the time to purchase online? WAY cheaper than Radio Shack over at Cole.

When I bought my Hitchcock shower curtain (see original review below) I was really hoping it would never actually come in handy. This past week though, it did!
My landlord walked in on me while I was in the shower*. Because I saw him first, I was startled and shrieked. It wasn’t embarrassing though because the Hitchcock curtain protected my modesty. I can only imagine the absolute terror I would have felt if I had not see him first, and he pulled back the curtain a la Psycho.
*He was there to fix a leak from the bathroom above mine.

We untangled our old Christmas tree lights and were getting ready to hang them when we noticed half the lights weren’t turning on. We tried a few different fixes; none worked. We called Cole a half-​hour before closing time. They told us they had various lights so we rushed over. Even though it was 20 minutes before closing time, the nice worker actually showed us two different kinds of lights and convinced us the less expensive lights ($ 5!) were better for our needs than the $ 12 lights.
Wow! That’s customer service.

I love strolling into here whenever I need random things for the house from nails to dishcloths, etc.
Friendly, helpful staff.
–Reload your clipper pass here
–Make spare keys in minutes
–Typical Hardware store

It’s true what the other reviewers say… the staff here are the friendliest and most helpful I’ve ever met of all hardware stores.
I came here for gardening advice as a novice herb gardener and now I have successfully grown fresh herbs!
I came here looking for supplies to build my photography light box and now I have an awesome light box!
I came here because an Ace Hardware did not cut my keys correctly and, even though Cole Hardware is only an affiliate and is independently owned, they offered to help me fix my key problem without charge. Amazing!
Yes, it’s a bit ridiculous how many good experiences I’ve had here. But you know what? It works. Even though it’s a 20 minute walk from my apartment, I’ll lug my ass over there and back just because I know they will have what I need or be able to help put me in the right direction.