Pleasants Hardware

We are going to miss u guys! This is the place I came for everything and everyone was so helpful. Now what!?? Ugh…

When it comes to working on a historic home, there isn’t a better hardware store than Pleasants! I had no trouble finding the exact skeleton key to unlock my 100 year old doors. Every time I’ve visited Pleasants, I am greeted by friendly and knowledgable staff who are always happy to assist.

Trust me when I say I am not as savvy as some at home improvement tasks. But, thanks to the guys at Peasants Hardware, I do not have to be. Between this nice crew and their store filled with anything you may need, this place has become my one-​stop shop for anything i need to help hang, decorate or build in my house.
Want to hang that Ikea shelf on your complicated walls? Now, you can with their expertise and tools (much like I did). With their prices as reasonable compared to other competitors, like Home Depot and Lowes, these guys (with their customer rewards card with ACE Hardware), will save you money and time on those complicated projects.
As a staple in Richmond that my family has been going to since my childhood, I now will continue this tradition! Trust me, you will not want to go to any store after stepping in here and getting the help from these guys– they know their stuff and after enough trips, you will soak up the knowledge these guys have as well. Stop on in next time you are in need of a DIY project tool/​item.

I feel like every visit I make to Pleasants is a kind of guided tour. Someone invariably spots me as I come in and inquires what do I need, do I know all the pieces involved, am I comfortable with the tools. Oh that piece is in Aisle X, but let me show you where… The merchandise tends towards the sturdier options for the generic bits and bobs instead of cheaper, shoddier stuff, and there are usually a few different options so you aren’t stuck with one thing that you don’t quite like.

Terrible customer service today from the key department. I waited 5 – 10 minutes before anyone would even acknowledge I was present and that was after another employee helped customer who had just walked up after me. Then he argued with me about why he had to help her first. What happened to customer service that is supposed to make this place better than their big-​box competitors?

Very friendly staff, and the inventory is full of parts and pieces needed for an older Richmond home.

Customer service out the wazoo! Employees here really go out of their way to ensure you have or can get everything you need.

I have lived in Richmond my entire life. I’m 51 now. Pleasants used to be the place to go for anyone who needed just the right thing and the staff who could answer any question. Then they were bought by ACE. I guess ACE decided to keep the name for recognition and they kept the older staff for a while. But as the staff has turned over from older retirees who knew their hardware to young underpaid know nothings, well you get the picture, you might as well go to Home Depot or Lowes because that’s the type of service you’re going to get at Pleasant’s now. Too bad, I never had a problem paying higher prices to get great service. Now you just pay higher prices.

What a great hardware store! They cut window glass, while you wait. You can’t get that a Home Depot…
Old fashioned sodas, bolts, fasteners, mailboxes, cleaning supplies, Baldwin locks, tools galore, garden supplies. You name it, Pleasants probably has it. Their motto is «most anything» so they’re ready to get you whatever you need for the home.

Not what they used to be. I went to Pleasants looking for a new lockset for my front door. After being completely unimpressed with what Lowes and Home Depot offered, I was counting on Pleasants to offer a little more, or at least different, selection. So I gave them a call to ask what brands they sold. Before I could finished my question I was interrupted and transferred somewhere. After about 20 rings, I hung up and decided to just head down there. When I got to the door hardware counter, there were two employees behind there so I’m not sure why no one answered the phone. When I asked about the keyless locks they offered I felt like I was interrupting their chat and was wordlessly led to a display. I was very disappointed to discover that they had the same two choices as the big box chains. The only difference was in price– Pleasants was about 20% more expensive.
I guess if you are a contractor, you live in the Museum District, or need an excuse to drop into Lee’s Fried Chicken, Pleasants is an okay option. But for anyone else, you might well hit the big boxes and save some money.

If its sold in a hardware store it’s a given Pleasant’s carries it. I rate it a 5 star because I’m not handy around the home, There, I’ve said it! When I need a thing-​a-​babob, it’s vital that I make less than a dozen trips. Good news, when I shop at Pleasant’s I don’t have to shop alone! Help is there! The staff is the most professional and knowledgable of any business I have met. Pheasants should be a model for every service oriented operation that opens its doors!

The size and selection of Lowes or Home Depot, but with the familiarity and friendliness of a mom-​and-​pop store. There’s a reason why this is one of Richmond’s most beloved stores.

After my visit to Pleasants today, I can confidently say that I don’t know why anyone would go anywhere else for their hardware needs.
I refinished a dining table and chairs last summer, but only finished 6 of the 8 chairs since we rarely have a need for so many. But since we’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, I knew we’d need all of the chairs. Between moving recently and not touching the chairs for months, the screws that attach the seats to the chairs somehow disappeared. Pleasants to the rescue! I took one of the screws from a completed chair and brought it with me to Pleasants with hopes of finding a match. I know nothing about screws and nails (yes, I’m the girl who once tried to nail a screw into a wall… whatever, at least I own it), so I was at the mercy of the Pleasants experts. Within minutes of walking in, the hardware genius pulled 3 options and advised me on the one he thought would work best. 12 screws later and my chairs are beautifully complete!
I just love how the staff truly are experts in their particular department. I know that big box hardware stores supposedly offer this as well, but it’s certainly not the same. The staff at Pleasants are über knowledgeable, friendly, and genuinely seem to enjoy their jobs. I watched a few staff members interact and they also seem to enjoy working with each other. Just a great environment all around. Check them out for your next home improvement project — I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Just had to update this to say that again, after becoming fed up with Lowe’s terrible selection of cheaply made tools, I went to Pleasant’s this weekend and found exactly what I was looking for: the most perfect double bit axe with a hickory handle. No, it isn’t for Halloween, just for chopping wood.

Context: I am not a professional handyman. I find out how to fix/​make/​do things online and go to a hardware store to buy supplies but also to hopefully talk to someone to make sure I’m not going about things the wrong way.
The customer service in this store is unbelievable. I’ve been in 4 or 5 times over the past two months for a variety of things (electrical, woodworking, plumbing, painting), and every single time I’ve either been approached by a staff person or have found a staff person more than willing to spend plenty of time helping me find what I need.
For example, I went in with a picture of a lamp I found online that I wanted to build. It was a lamp made out of a book. I had no idea what I would need to make it. I went to the electrical section and found a staff person. When I showed him the picture and told him I was a total novice, he dropped everything he was doing and walked me through the process of building the lamp, what parts I would need, and the potential problems I might face. It was awesome.
So just go and check it out. Sure, they don’t have as many options as Lowes. And it might be a bit more expensive (I haven’t compared prices). But the customer service more than makes up for it every time.

Pleasants Hardware on Broad is a DIY’ers dream come true.
Every time I visit Pleasants, I’m greeted by about 10 ridiculously helpful and smiley staff members. I then explain to them some crazy project I am trying to do and how I want to use product A to do something it’s not meant for. They always go out of their way to help me find what I am looking for and understand my needs.
Just last week, I went by looking for some plexiglass to make jewelry with. They not only found me some plexiglass, but they gave me (for FREE) scrap pieces they had in the trash. One of the staff members showed me how one of his co-​workers creates all sorts of shelves and organizing tools out of plexiglass. To say they are helpful is an understatement.
You can find all sorts of crazy deals (like the mis-​tinted paint they sell for $ 2 a gallon). I regularly spend afternoons literally just browsing. a hardware store — this is not something you will find me doing at Lowe’s or Home Depot.
Shop local. Shop Pleasants. You will be glad you did.

Holy hardware!
Visiting RVA to help my son get his apartment squared away, we happened into Pleasant’s. I had always thought Brown’s in Falls Church and Frager’s on Capitol Hill were the gold standard of hardware stores. Step aside, lads. Pleasant’s just kicked your butt.
Old fashioned hardware store on steroids. Enormous selection. Helpful staff. Cool stuff.
To top it off there’s a sign in the front door that says «Corn Hole Boards Sold Here.» (The game at fund raisers where you throw the bean bag through a hole in a board.)
P. S. Don’t y’all think Unilocal has too many spa and nail salon reviews?

Thank goodness for this great locally owned hardware store.
Pleasants has never, and I mean NEVER disappointed me. Everyone in this place is eager to help you, find what you need, and get you on your way.
Everytime I got to this place, I usually try to find what I need but I end up looking lost and automatically a specialists directs me to where I need to go, who I need to talk to, and BAM i’m pretty much done.
The second reason I love this place is because it’s run by the Sauer family… the producer of the best spices EVER.

Pleasant’s is awesome. Truly one of the best local businesses in Richmond. It’s your time-​honored, traditional hardware store… it carries a little bit of everything, even the hard to find stuff for old houses and cars (it seems like every Richmonder has one or the other)…
My husband once found an old rare thread tap for his 30+ year old Honda motorcycle… even more amazing was that one of the associates actually knew what he was talking about, and found it for him!
And even if they don’t have what you are looking for (which is rare) the people here know where you can go in Richmond to find what you need.
So in short, the people know their hardware, they carry almost everything (their motto is «MOST ANYTHING»… ain’t that the truth…) and they are open til 7 most days.

What do I go to Pleasant’s Hardware for? Let’s see… key copies… and advice on things that most folks at Lowes or Home Depot just can’t give advice on. Pleasant’s Hardware also has a lot of «doohickies» as the old folks call them.
Solutions to problems that the big box stores just don’t have or have the expertise to piece together an answer to your problem… the Pleasant’s crew does. Most of the folks who work here are seasoned, maybe even salty, and there is little turnover. These people know their stuff.
I wouldn’t go here for a ceiling fan or a designer light fixture but I would go here to find a non traditional anything first. A special size nut or bolt, plumbing parts for existing or older fixtures etc. You will also find a huge selection of lock and knob sets from top suppliers. They also carry unusual sizes of storm and screen doors.
Next time you are looking for a doohicky, try Pleasants Hardware first!