Old School Hardware

Washington, DC, United States

4.7

Closed now

21 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 202-462-1431
Website:
www.oldschoolhardware.com
Address:
3219 Mount Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC, DC, 20010
b/t N Lamont St & N Park Rd
Mount Pleasant
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.4 miHarvard Street
0.4 mi14th & Irving Sts. NW (Columbia Hts.)
0.4 miColumbia Heights
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes

Today

Today 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Washington, DC) 7:54 PM Monday, June 2, 2025

Business hours

Monday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

We specialize in customer service and offer the following services.

Key Copying

Knife Sharpening

Glass Cutting

Paint Mixing

We carry all kinds of products that help you take care of your home, your car, your bike, and your garden. We can help with fix-​it projects, craft projects, home renovations, or that never ending honey-​do list. If we don’t have it in the store, we can probably get it within a half-​week.

We pride ourselves on excellent customer service. Come in and visit us soon.

History

Established in 2010.

There’s been a neighborhood hardware store in Mt. Pleasant going back to the 1950’s. There’s been a hardware store in one form or another in our space since 2000. My wife Katie and I bought Pfeiffer’s Hardware from our good friends and neighbors, the Pfieffers in July of 2010. We’re building on the great foundation that they laid, hoping to make our store the best little Hardware Store North of U, South of Military, West of New Hampshire and East of Wisconsin!

Meet the Business Owner

Phil L.

Business Owner

Phil Lepanto has lived in Washington, DC since 1996. He’s proud to own a business that serves the neighborhoods of Adams Morgan, Pleasant Plains, Columbia Heights, Cleveland Park, Petworth, Crestwood, 14th Street Heights, 16th Street Heights, Cardozo, Shaw, Mid-​City, Lanier Heights and Mt. Pleasant.

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Vicinity

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21 reviews of Old School Hardware

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
This is not a hipster bar, as we had first thought from afar.
The staff here is super helpful, I came to get keys made and I was in and out in under ten minutes, very different from my home depot experiences. I will definitely come back for hardware related purchases.
Place rating: 4
Washington, DC
Staff are very helpful. While they were mixing my paint (and the color turned out great) they helped me pick out all the tools I would need by asking detailed questions about what my walls were made of and about how my molding was arranged. I thought I was going to need 3 cans of paint based on an online calculator, but they told me I would only need 2, and that they would give me a discount on the third if they turned out to be wrong. 2 cans turned out to be the perfect amount, so they saved me $ 28. The place is really small and packed, but I would definitely go back again.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
I stopped by on a whim today to see if could get keys made and they were able to make house keys and a car key made in no time. The staff was friendly and it was great to so easily knock this item off of my list.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
I like keeping it small and local when I can and Old School is about as small and local as you can get. A husband and wife team that love their entrepreneurship and it shows. You’ll usually find Mr. «School» at the shop offering his expertise and personal hardware experience to customers. The employees of Old School seem to really enjoy working there and it shows. The store is small so take some time and browse the whole store to get an idea of all it offers– you’ll find just about everything you need or want and if you can’t the employees will. If you need something they don’t have housed in the store they’ll order it and it’s usually in-​hand in 2 to 3 days, well worth the wait. Prices are cheaper than the other big box hardware stores all over the city. If you spot an Old School t-​shirt for sale there buy it, it’s pimping cool. Also, they have a store cat and that is the coolest ever and ever.
Place rating: 5
Washington D.C., DC
VERY helpful and knowledgeable staff. They really know their stuff! They are a bit small so they don’t have everything. But even though they didn’t sell the parts I needed (specifically 2x4s), they were extremely helpful in my project and even recommended where to go for the pieces I needed.
I’d go back again for my next project!
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Fantastic service. I don’t know how they do it in that tiny space, but they’ve always had everything I needed! Key copy service is excellent and fast. Very friendly neighborhood store.
Place rating: 1
Washington, DC
I’ve been here a couple times since I moved to the neighborhood and have been generally satisfied, until I went last night to purchase a flower pot. The guy at the counter (middle-​aged, ponytail) leered at me the entire time. If I want to be treated like meat I’ll go walk by the 7 – 11, thanks so much. So my advice? Wear a burqa, or walk to Ace.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
They provide a lovely shopping experience.
One of them men who works here even helped me put my new license plate on my car! It may have cost 40 cents more than buying the materials at home depot, but you really can’t get that kind of service. Also, they do have kitties for adoption sometimes. Which is cute. It’s got a good community feel. Go here!
Place rating: 5
Boulder, CO
If you were going to design a community hardware store from scratch, it would look just like this one. A perfectly curated collection of just the things you were looking for.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Best small hardware store in town. Also one of my favorite small businesses. I needed a whole bunch of key tags for my bike valet business. I found some online, but wanted to go local. Old School matched the price for me. I go here all the time for little things I need around the house. I wish I could get a sheet of plywood/​drywall once in a while, but sometimes you just have to go to Home Depot — womp. Great store, great service.
Place rating: 5
Washington D.C., DC
Will is so helpful. Answered my questions about what type of outlet to get for my backyard. Would go to them for anything that I need. they spend the time with the Customer. & they are fostering a cat named Xavier through the washington human society. if we didn’t just adopt a cat through the humane society a couple months ago, we would seriously consider adopting Xavier. Great store, great people!
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
The people that work here are a great combination of low key, friendly, knowledgeable, and for my purposes, NON-​JUDGEMENTAL. I go into hardware stores as ignorant as they come and answer all of my dumb questions as if they aren’t dumb. It’s a small space, but it’s such a great vibe that I kinda want to hang around and talk about hinges or whatever. It’s very enjoyable shopping experience.
Additionally, they are such an important part of a great neighborhood. I love seeing the plants go out in the spring. I once called them right before they closed and they casually offered to wait for me if I was swinging by (I didn’t make them wait). Even though we moved away from Mt. Pleasant, I continue schlep over there even for odds and ends. Great store.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Shop here. Wonderful service– they’ll help you find just about anything, and give you tips on home improvement projects. I was especially impressed with their key copying service. After being unable to successfully copy a key (on the second try), they were able to diagnose that the key I brought in was not a close enough copy to the original. Sure enough, once we found an «earlier» version of the same key, Old School Hardware made successful copies.
The prices are competitive. To take an example, although 17th Street Hardware sells ½ gallon mason jars for ~$ 9 (and doesn’t offer sets of 6), Old School Hardware sells a set of 6 for $ 15. Amazon sells sets of 6 for $ 26.
Place rating: 5
Columbia Heights, Washington, DC
A good local hardware store is hard to find in DC. I live less than a mile from the store and never had a reason to visit until I bought I bike. I needed degreaser and bike lube for my bike chain. I walked into the store and one of the workers upfront asked what I needed and pointed me right to products I looked up online. The prices were comparable to Amazon. I even took a look at their u-​locks, and the prices are also comparable to anything online without shipping costs.
I was in and out in about 5 minutes. The convenience cannot be beat.
Sure, the store is small. If you’re not sure if they have what you need, I suggest you call. I looked up their inventory on their website, so I knew that they had what I needed.
They will have my business until I move out of the area.
Place rating: 4
Washington, DC
Just visited yesterday. TINY, and yet seems to have more variety of items than Lowe’s or Home Depot. Staff is incredibly friendly and helpful and knows exactly where everything is. They also had everything I had on my list that day.
They say if they don’t have it they can order it. I look forward to sending my dad and husband back as we complete home repairs and renovations.
Will update regarding our future experiences.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
I love this place. In my two weeks in DC, I have stopped in three times. Service has been consistently top-​notch: helpful, friendly, and full of tips. Why go to a big-​box in the burbs when I can just walk down the street and find what I need in minutes?
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
This is what you get when you visit a neighborhood store versus a big chain.
I’ve had a plant for a few years. I’m proud of that. He’s still alive and well, but he was growing too big for his britches. Until last year my ex handled our plant-​relocation program.
But, seeing as how she’s my ex, I had to fend for myself this year.
I called Old School Hardware and spoke with Kyla. She helped me move my green buddy, Leon, from a small pot to a home more befitting of his ascending social stature. The two of us shall be forever grateful!
Also, they sell t-​shirts.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
I love, Love, LOVE this place, because of the staff. They are super helpful and can walk me through any project i need help with
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Great small local hardware store. Seems to have most basic parts in stock (they had the light switch part that I needed and for a better price than True value on 17th St). Service was great — they helped me locate the part I needed in just seconds and checkout was quick. Highly recommend this for a neighborhood hardware spot for those living in Adams Morgan, Mt Pleasant, and Columbia Heights. They have good hours and take credit cards.
Place rating: 3
Benicia, CA
All about this being a *hip* independent hardware store. Living in the area, it is within walking distance of our apartment, and quite convenient. However, service could be better.
It’s not cool to talk badly about other customers in front of current shoppers. Also, we notified the clerk that they were out of a certain screw, and he couldn’t have cared less.
Place rating: 4
Washington, DC
Old School Hardware is a great local business…4+. I come here whenever I need flower pots, organic fertilizer, potting soil or some other odds and ends. I live in an apartment so I don’t usually have any big repair jobs but for those little things that need doing.
The place is small… kind of like a long hallway with stuff hanging all the way to the ceiling. It is clean and well organized. It is actually kind of shocking how much stuff they get into that little place. If they don’t have what you are looking for, they will also order it.
Service: The owner and everyone who works here is super helpful and willing to help you find something or help you with a project. The first time I went, I came in for a plunger and the owner was there. I picked one out and when I went to pay… he recommended another one that he said was a much better value. That is exactly what I want from a local business.
Prices: A bit high. You cannot expect the same kind of prices you find at the big home improvement warehouse. However, they are still rather reasonable.