Hollis Hardware Open seven days · Corner of Hollis & 9th

Everyone in this store has done the job you're about to do.

First leaking pipe or fortieth framing job, you're talking to people who know what to do — someone who's actually done the repair or the build, standing next to you, working out what you need and how to get it done.

An experienced counter-hand in a work apron pointing at a brass pipe fitting a customer is holding, both absorbed in the problem.
Martin, 71, formerly a general contractor, helps a customer pick out the right shower valve.

What happens when you walk in

  1. 01

    Show us the problem

    A photo on your phone is enough. You don't need the right word for it — that's our job, not yours.

  2. 02

    We find the part, and the tool

    The part that fits and the thing that makes it go right. You leave knowing it's a 1/2-inch compression nut, so next time you can search for it at 11pm.

  3. 03

    We show you how

    Which way the wrench turns. Where it leaks if you overtighten. A diagram on the back of your receipt if that's what it takes.

Who's behind the counter

Carpenters, plumbers, and one grouchy, retired electrician who likes to argue about conduit.

Everyone who works here has built or fixed for a living. The people who own this store still do the work on weekends. That's the whole business — not a wall of products with someone nearby who might know.

At the big store you might get somebody who's done your job before. Here it isn't luck.

Ray, an older plumber in a green work apron, behind the counter.
Ray Plumber · 31 years
Michael, an electrician, holding a length of metal conduit, a red screwdriver in his shirt pocket.
Michael Electrician · 22 years
Sarah, a carpenter, in a canvas apron with a pencil in hand and a green tape measure at her waist.
Sarah Carpenter · 16 years
For the homeowner with a question — or the contractor who likes to chat.

Let's be honest about who we're for. We're here to answer questions — we'll ask to see the photo, and we'll walk you to the aisle rather than point at it. Contractors, we love you, and you're always welcome. But if you're moving volume and you need to be in and out in ninety seconds, we're going to slow you down. If what you want is the right part and the know-how to go about it, then we're absolutely the ones for you.

What you're paying for

Yes, we cost a little more.

Not much, and not on everything. But we're not the cheapest and we're not trying to be.

You're not paying for the part. You're paying for the twenty minutes. The part costs four dollars either way. The difference is whether you get it home and know exactly what to do with it — the right part, the right tool, and no dread about starting.

First house or fortieth project — if you'd rather understand the repair than pay for a costly mistake, we're the store for you.

The Hollis Hardware storefront on a corner, Ray shaking hands with a neighbor out front by the bench and bike.