Wankel’s Hardware

It’s a landmark in my opinion. The red, white and blue painted building brightens up the neighborhood. I’ve been coming in here for years. Some of their stock has been on the shelves for years! They have a good selection. It’s good in a pinch when I don’t want to hike to Home Depot. If I need small items like S hooks, nails, etc. I go to the dollar store at 1^st Ave and 100^th Street. In the cold winter Wankel’s is a blessing!

Need it in an emergency, go here. Local place, and limited selection, but the shelves are full.
A little pricey but when you need it, you’ve got to find it here or somewhere else.

Excellent selection, prices are obviously higher than at a chain store but reasonable for being a local institution. Very friendly and helpful staff. Would recommend for quick finds.

This is an AWESOME resource if you life on the Upper East Side. They have just about everything I ever need, and the one thing that stopped me from shopping there when I moved into the neighborhood was I thought they’d be super expensive. Not at all true! They have very reasonable prices (same as Home Depot in Manhattan), BUT best of all they can give you advice. There is one person there named Shawn who is terrific.
We we having an issue with second hand smoke coming in from a neighbor’s apartment, and he showed me just what to do. And by the way, there are a lot of things you can do if this is a problem for you too.
Anyway, these guys are great so check them out if you’re in the area.

One of the best customer service experiences I’ve had in a very long time. This was the first time I’ve had any contact with them and took a chance to see if they had what I was looking for. I phoned Wankel’s earlier today to see if they had a particular vacuum cleaner bag, gave the model number and said I’d be in later. As soon as I walked in and said I was looking for a vacuum cleaner bag, the lovely gentleman at the desk held up a package with the correct model number, along with a big smile. Thank you, Wankel’s.

This place sucks!!! I like supporting local businesses but this people steal from you. Almost a dollar each washer!!! That costs cents. $ 11.29 for two zip toggle bolts. The 10 pack is less than ten bucks anywhere else. Insane I hate this place.

I’ve been to Wankel’s a few times now and while I’m still a fan, I’ve had a few «annoying experiences» here. I really lucked out the first time when I talked to Assistant Manager G — — (still don’t remember his name, but this guy’s a gem.) So, if there’s one tip I can give to future Wankel’s customers, it’s find him.

IDIOTS!!! I went in asking for CLAMPS. Here is the exchange.
«Hello, do you have CLAMPS?»
«Do you mean like these?» holding paper clips with an odd look on his face. He asked me this question a few times.
«No I want CLAMPS those are paper clips, I am looking for clamps»
«Do you mean for clothes on the line»
«No I mean CLAMPS they are larger than that…(with a huff) let me see what you have»
He then directs a sales person on the floor to help me, telling him to show me the clothes pins.
I explain to the the sales person, that I am looking for CLAMPS and he got it. The CLAMPS were in the front near the register. I asked him is this called CLAMPS or something else.
He said «No you were correct.»
«…just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I don’t know what I am looking for. This was really annoying»
This happens a lot at Hardware stores, I didn’t come in asking for a «thingy» that is like that «thingy».
PS the floor sales person made an effort to listen and find what I wanted. I don’t know who it was working the register, but he is an IDIOT!

Love Wankel’s. I do a lot of home improvement work and they’re my go-​to store in the city!

I really want to like this place, due to their interesting history and because I appreciate having an independently owned neighborhood shop. Unfortunately my two experiences going there have been mildly disappointing. Both times they didn’t have exactly what I was looking for. And, I felt like the staff was kind of eyeing me suspiciously. I tend to get that a lot, so I can’t totally blame them — there must be something about the way I look. :-/
Anyway, there was nothing entirely bad about my experiences. I just wasn’t able to fall in love with the store. I’ll shop there again.

With local hardware stores almost extinct its is great to still have Wankels still here in the Yorkville area of NY NY.
I love this place because when ever I need something hardware related or even cleaning related items I can go there and ask the first person I see and they will find it for me in 1 minute plus give me great advice if I need it.
Now that kind of service is basically non-​existant anymore.
Due to large companies with staff that do not learn their trade and could care less about learning about what they sell. No help to their clients.
When I had a complicated question at Wankels the owner even stepped right in and helped me find a great product to clean old wrought iron.
Ask for Sean he is a skilled pro and will help you with all your hardware
related questions and offer good solid advice.
A huge plus is delivery service is available.
Five stars for my local family owned hardward store that provides the best service.

GREAT neighborhood hardware store. They have an awesome in-​store selection. You’ll pay more than Target or Kmart, but the convenience is well worth it. They carry seasonal merchandise too.

I hate leaving bad review and tried to give them the benefit of the doubt but in this case I really can’t. While I appreciate the fact that this crappy old hardware store has been in the neighborhood forever, but my experience was SO HORRIBLE I had to come to Unilocal to share.
I bought a wooden serving tray that I wanted to stain black. Since I live in the neighborhood, I walked over and browsed around the store. Couldn’t find anything. Asked a guy who worked there for help. He directed me to another guy. That guy didn’t know either and directed me to a woman, who apparently was the owner. I was holding a jar of black polish and I asked her if it would work to completely stain my cabinet, which was LIGHT wood, dark. She looks at the product like she has never seen it before, then screams, «OF COURSE IT WILL STAIN IT BLACK. SEE, IT SAYS EBONY. EBONY IS ANOTHER WORD FOR BLACK.» Ok, it isn’t really, but whatever. I gave it a shot.
Fast forward a week later. The polish was horrible and not even a stain. I went back to the store and returned it, deciding to just paint and finish it instead of trying to stain. Asked a Japanese guy for help. He barely spoke English and everything I asked for, he just shook his head and said «NO we don’t have that.» Listen, I’m Asian myself so I’m not being racist here AT ALL but for crying out he could have at least said he didn’t know and direct me to someone who did. Gave up with him after a few minutes. I walked around the store looking for someone else and found a group of workers including the awful boss lady standing around chatting about nothing. I asked them for some black paint and got it. When I checked out, I asked the cashier if I could test out the paint and return it if it wasn’t the right color. I asked him 2x just to make sure. He said yes.
Fast forward the next day (yes, this was a big project) :) After trying out the paint, I realized it was too thin and I didn’t have enough time to apply multiple coats. Went back and asked to return my tiny jar of paint that cost me $ 10. Nobody would let me return the paint because there was a drip of black paint on the rim, which to them meant I had used it. huh?
Here’s where it gets crazy. The nutcase owner lady marches right up to my face and starts SCREAMING at me and waving the paint in my face, asking who told me the paint was refundable if tested already. I’m not kidding, THE OWNER OF THE STORE WAS YELLING AT ME TO MY FACE. I could literally feel the spit on my face. Told her to ask her own staff and that how she ran her business was none of my business. She then took the paint and ran to the back of the store where there was an elderly customer and started apologizing for the «scene» before. I was so dumbfounded that I just walked up to her and told her that it was uncalled for to scream at a customer for something that wasn’t her fault. She rolled her eyes and me and that was that.
BOTTOM LINE: THIS PLACE IS A JOKE. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME HERE — GO TO THE HOME DEPOT IN MIDTOWN EAST INSTEAD

This is the worst hardware I’ve seen. A REAL hardware store has hardware — screws, nuts, bolts, tools etc. They try to supply both hardware and houseware needs and do both poorly. What hardware store doesn’t have 1″ sheet metal screws with a hex head?

I bought curtains and curtain rod from Ikea, came home and realized I can’t drill holes into my walls because there is concrete/​bricks behind it. Fail.
My friend told me I can probably just get a tension rod since there is an indent where my windows are. I was going to go to Bed Bath and Beyond but it was SOO far away and I was tired from moving/​unpacking. I figured I’d give the hardware store a shot. When I first walked in and asked the cashier, he didn’t know what I was talking about but directed me to the back.
I explained my issue and the guy located the tension rod for me, and even asked how heavy my curtains are. Being a noob, I said it was 15 pounds and he told me the tension rod wouldn’t work. I proceeded to look up my curtains online and… they are actually only 4 pounds. He told me that it should work and was very very helpful. Imagine if my curtains were actually 15 pounds, he would have saved me from buying another rod that I couldn’t use!

I am torn about this review as I love to support local businesses and Wankels Hardware has served the neighborhood for many years. It is well kept and the outside paint job really stands out. But it can be very hit or miss here when looking for specific items, or need help from the staff. It depends who you get on the floor, as some are more knowledgable then others. A few times I had dropped in here for specific items that they did not have or could not locate. Others times, they had just what I needed. Also, prices here are a bit higher than the bigger chain stores like Home Depot but I don’t mind paying for the convenience of having it close by. Good store to have in the neighborhood if you need something in a pinch.

There’s a certain wacky, one-​of-​a-​kind quality to Wankel’s, from the iconic paint job outside to the citadel-​like cashiers’ platform inside.
In the bad old days, there was a turnstile at the front door (to deter shoplifters, I guess), so that you couldn’t get in with a stroller at all. It seemed almost unfriendly. Things have changed a lot. Not only is the stupid turnstile gone, but Wankel’s has moved into the 21^st century via social media.
Like all neighborhood hardware stores, you will need a staff member to help you find even the simplest thing. Fortunately, they are pleasant, knowledgeable, and fast. In one instance, the owner spent ten minutes helping me compare extension cords. Home Depot may be fine for some things, but I’d rather pay a little more for the convenience and human idiosyncracies of a local small business.

I usually don’t like to burn a business on Unilocal,but I can’t believe there’s only one negative review of Wankel’s so far. Here’s my experience:
I bought an adjustable wrench at Wankel’s about a year ago. It was medium sized and absurdly expensive ($ 30). I thought to myself, I should buy this now, in case I need it, but if I get home and have another I’ll just bring this one back.
When I went to return the wrench, they told me they could not accept the return because ‘I might have used it) DESPITE THE FACT IT WAS STILL IN THE ORIGINAL PACK! I asked for the manager, he told me he wouldn’t accept the return either. I even called the store owner several times. She never returned my call, but I do see she replies on Unilocal.I ended up filing a chargeback through my CC company, which did refund me, but c’mon guys, really? I guess I should have complained publicly when I had the chance.

This is a great hardware store! I was in the neighborhood today and I stopped in to buy 2 extension cords. I’ve been in this store before today and every time I find what I’m looking for.
You can’t go wrong with this hardware store. It’s straight up good.

Always have what we have needed during our move-​in/​make like our little home/​post-​purchase phase. I would rather give the business to the local hardware store (90 years or something like that).
Someone has always greeted me at the door and pointed me in the right direction or taken me where I needed to go.