Westlake Ace Hardware

Interior
— Clean. Well stocked. Organized.
Customer Service
— As far as friendliness this location doesn’t have any issues in this particular aspect.
— Employee knowledge of general home maintenance and product types is a bit lacking. The individual that assisted me in looking for a ¾″ adapter managed to somehow think that a ½″ is bigger.
Prices
— There are a few items that you can get cheaper here as opposed to Lowes or Home Depot. But for the most part, Lowes and Home Depot have better deals.
— I would only come here to grab small items that I need in a crunch. Otherwise I would make the short drive down May and go straight to Lowes.

We were looking for Gardz to seal the drywall in our 1940s home. The protective paper had come off during our kitchen demo and this is the stuff that all of the internet recommends. And I mean ALL of the internet. We tried two of the big box stores and a smaller paint store with no luck. I called here to try one more time and they had it! While there, I was asked if I need help by several staff. I was really impressed, they offered to help more than all of the times I’ve been asked in the chains combined! We didn’t find a faucet we liked, which was really disappointing because they were having a great sale, but I had something specific in mind. Also, they have a great soda selection by the registers. This is a longer drive than some of the places in Norman, but the extra 15 – 20 minutes is well worth it.

After driving all over the city trying to get a wood backing for my grandmother’s mirror cut, I got smart and called Ace. Bill couldn’t have been nicer on the phone; he said to bring it on in and he’d do the best he could. 5 minutes after checking in later, my board was cut perfectly! Best part? No charge! I’ll avoid the big box hardware stores like the plague! Think I’ll be doing a lot more shopping here in the future! :)

Don’t underestimate the importance of convenience when deciding where to go when you need just a few hardware-​y type things. I’m sure the big boxes are cheaper, but time is money, babies!
This is such an easy place to run in, I’m happy to pay a little bit of a premium. When I go to one of the big chains, I could have accidentally sliced off my arm and I’m not sure someone would ask me if I need help. Then they’d be all like, ‘Oh, tourniquets are aisle seven. That’s not my department.‘
At Ace, sometimes I play a game to see how many nice employees will check on me while I’m stolling the aisles. Average is 1 per every five minutes in the store.
I’ve never had to wait in the checkout for more than a few minutes, and the staff is always really nice. Also, at Ace, there’s always a human to do the checking out. Self-​checkout at those big places has GOT to be more trouble than it’s worth (for the store and the customer alike).
But not at Westlake Ace Hardware at 23^rd and Penn. Nice people, a good assortment of things for someone with my limited hardware-​y skills. I don’t need to choose between 42 different wrenches. I’m not doing anything hardcore enough to warrant a lot of choices. It is less overwhelming and less stressful to just go in and not have a lot of decision making to do.
You just need to get a key made, or buy some lightbulbs, grab a sprinkler or pick up a cooler? This place is ace.

+1 Everyone is walking around with a batman utility belt that will let ‘em tell you whatever you need to know.
+1 Knowledgeable about what they have, where it is in the store and what you need if you don’t know what to get for a problem.
+1 Very polite, I go here quite often, not a problem ever! *finger crossed, no jinxes*
+1 They carry really good rug vacuum steam cleaners that you can rent out for a do-​it-​yourself marathon.
+1 Lots & lots of good deals.