Tweedy & Popp Ace Hardware

Pretty solid small general store. They might not have a lot of options but they have a wide selection: paint, plumbing, electrical, gardening, and can even make keys. Living in Wallingford — I always try them first before trekking up to Loews/​Home Depot. Granted it’s mostly for the convenience of the short walk, but they also have a great staff. At least 2 but sometimes 3 people working — which seems like an over kill for a space that might be 1200 sq ft. But the great thing is they know the store like the back of their hand and you never have to wait.

My 1 star rating is to provide a warning about returns here. If you don’t have the packaging the item came in they won’t take it back, even if you have the receipt and you bought the item a couple days ago. That’s because «they can’t resell it without the packaging.» And they don’t apologize for that, either. I asked the Maple Leaf Ace store down the road if they would accept returns without the packaging and they said they would, which has been my experience over many years. I’ll stick with the Maple Leaf store from now on.

I have no idea why this place has a 3 star average. The two gentlemen at the store were so incredibly helpful on my latest project: replacing a leaky shower spout in my old house. I was thisclose to hiring a plumber and spending hundreds of dollars on a whole new shower kit. But the friendly gents at Tweedy & Popp were so patient. And thanks to their help, it only cost me $ 30 and 30 minutes of my time (and only one trip to the store!).

I’ve been here a number of times for a range of products and the staff was always very knowledgable and helpful. They’ve always taken the time to help me figure out what product would be best for me and to help me find things.

This place gets 5 stars for customer service hands down. In the saga of «old house, oh #$%! what have we gotten ourselves into?» we’ve been making frequent stops to Tweedy & Popp. Let me reiterate that our level of expertise is close to 0 when it comes to diy home fixes. Yet in the past year, we managed to fix some plumbing issues, changed a very leaky faucet that wasn’t your standard fixture, did some serious gardening, all with the help of folks at Tweedy & Popp.
They have 2 – 3 older folks that are very knowledgeable and super friendly and a young fellow that is less experienced but just as eager to help.
Chuck has been amazingly helpful in showing us from what pipe wrench to get to what packing string is and eventually how to use silicone tape on pipe end so the new faucet goes in smoothly. I am still not sure if what I explained above makes sense to anyone but myself but we got the work done.
I will always stop by their store first and if and only if I can’t find it there I’ll go to the trouble of going to big stores like Home Depot.
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I just read other reviews and I get a very strong vibe that they cleaned up their act significantly since the 1 – 2 start reviews from 2008 – 2009. Keep it going folks.

Great little hardware store, and we are super glad to have it in the neighborhood. We just bought a home close by and have been in several times for odds and ends. Both guys helping us have been great. They may not have everything, but I will always try here first. Looking forward to buying the paint for the exterior of our house knowing that I don’t have to over buy or make several trips to somewhere further away.

After my 2009 1-​star review, I didn’t return to Tweedy & Popp for at least 3 years. Then one day, a home hardware crisis compelled me to return. I *loved* the kitschy old-​fashionedness of the old location. I still miss it but the new location still has an old-​fashioned feel to it with MUCH easier parking.
I have been back numerous times since that first desperate trip — why? Because the service has drastically improved! The people are much nicer, the store is better organized than the old days and I can’t think of a single visit when I couldn’t get the help I needed. I usually end up there for specific oddball items and sure enough, they have them. Even better, the staff are knowledgeable and help me choose the right oddball item out of several strange widgety things in the same place. For a small store, they have a lot packed in there.
I like patronizing to my local shops so I’m happy Tweedy & Popp has improved so much. I’m quite pleased with their new staff and new (ish) location.

Love this place. If there is anything I can get here rather than get at Lowes or Home Depot, I will come here instead.
The gentleman that helped me seemed like the owner. I don’t remember his name but I do remember that he was a grandpa and instantly sympathized over my very curious 3 year old. I understand what another poster said about some employees being so apathetic. «Grandpa» seemed very eager to help me and went out of his way to try and problem solve. His employee however, looked not amused, kinda grumpy and I probably woudn’t have even asked him for help. So glad Gramps helped us out. Because of that, I’ll be back. They have everything. Not just that, Gramps seemed to know WAY WAY WAY more than any Fred Meyer employee working in the tools department. He also treated me with respect and patience which I can’t say for Home Depot employees.
And of course… it’s right next to Trophy Cupcakes. What other motivation do you need to come here?

Nice little shop in a great location, but the employees are so apathetic. They messed up our paint order and didn’t care. Expected us to pay for a second can.

Love this place! So grateful for a mom and pop hardware store that always provides friendly and informative customer service. Ignore the negative reviews and support these guys!

Small, quick place to get your keys made.

Chuck was super helpful and knowledgable. He stopped what he was doing to help track down the smallest set screw and the matching wrench. Total cost was about 50 cents, but he treated me as if I were the most important customer in the store.
thanks!

It’s a neighborhood hardware store, so my assumption was «small but good staff.» Turns out this was correct.
We stopped in looking for a sink adapter part, asked where it was, got directed right where we needed to go and when we were sitting there trying to figure out which thing to get, another one one of the employees — Chuck — stopped in, looked at what we had, and immediately solved our problem. Turns out we were looking for an adapter we didn’t need, and he showed us the solution instantly.
Then we bought some lightbulbs, because we needed those. But I was really impressed with his ability to instantly recognize what we were doing wrong and fix our sink to dishwasher adapter problem! (apparently they stuff several o-​rings in the adapter under the assumption you will pull them all out and only use the one you need. Who knew? Not us, and not the manual for our dishwasher.)

Tweedy & Popp is super convenient, well organized and the staff is always very helpful and friendly. The only bad thing I’ve experienced about it is when I wanted to call to see if they had a certain item before driving over there — I called at least 5 times with no answer and no answering machine. It was quite frustrating — but when I did end up driving over there they had what I was looking for, so I survived.
Between T&P and Stoneway Hardware, I haven’t found a reason to go to a bigger hardware store yet — and the prices seem about the same anyhow.

Short version: the Wallingford location is a convenient neighborhood hardware store, but the prices, selection, and quality of some of the goods isn’t as good as you will find at larger home centers. Even Stoneway Hardware & Supply (another Ace hardware) around the corner generally does better.
Selection. If you need an extension cord or some batteries, you’re probably going to do fine. If you are going in looking for either something very specific and a little out of the ordinary («I need four tubes of black polyurethane caulk and a 3-​foot squeegee») you may get lucky and you may not. If you need something really out of the ordinary («I need 500′ of 0.95″ line trimmer line for a Husqvarna») you won’t find it. That said, I’ll keep going back here because only Ace makes a particular cleaner that I use.
Price. Expect to pay anywhere from the same price as Home Depot to 30% more than Home Depot, depending. The fact that they’re about to match HD on some things is actually great. But generally, you’re looking at paying a premium.
Service. I wouldn’t go here because of the service. The folks here vary in terms of both knowledge and customer-​friendliness. Sometimes the service is pleasant and helpful. Sometimes it’s absent. Sometimes it’s a bit rude.

I usually like supporting local businesses. After my sole visit here, I must advocate, skipping them and just head down to a larger hardware store. Your service might not be as attentive of service but your prices will be definitely lower. You will also get in and out without dealing with the mediocre staff.

I usually try to avoid T&P’s, as the service in it’s old location across the street was usually bad. However, as I live in the neighborhood, I’ve been here a few times since they moved and felt that the service had gotten better. Until today.
I found the one item I needed and brought it to the counter. The kid behind the counter looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the world. He took my item and mumbled something. After a few moments I realized he said «Want a bag?». I said no, and he ran my card and just stared at the floor, with his hair hanging down so I couldn’t see his face. When my receipt came out he tossed it on the counter at me an then tossed the pen, too. The pen was one of those with a heavy bolt on the end. I shook my head at the rude service and signed. The receipt has printed on it ‘Thank you”, but that was more than I got from the loser behind the counter.
It’s amazing that in this economy, this guy has a job. My guess is that he is related to the owner. Who, if he is an older guy with white hair, was standing there the whole time.
My recommendation… only shop here if you absolutely need to. Otherwise, drive a bit further and shop at a different place that values your business.

The perfect neighborhood hardware store. I can’t get over how often they have the items I need, even when they’re a bit unusual.
The staff generally know their stock, and the store is easier to navigate in its new location.

I was surprised to read some of the negative reviews here. I went here to get some moss-​killer for my yard. I had some questions, and I had to wait for quite a while, but only because the older gentleman who was helping the young woman in front of me was giving her a very thorough explanation of what to do about her blackberry infestation. The service I received was comparable, if more concise. I guess I can see how some might, if they were rather sensitive, describe the service as «rude.» I would call it «amusingly gruff,» and actually found it kind of pleasant. It’s one thing if they ignore you or something, but these are just no-​nonsense old guys with a lot of questions to answer.
The place is kind of fun to browse in, in a chaotic, Archie-McPhee’s-meets-Home-Depot sort of way. Haven’t visited the new location yet, but I was relieved when I found out they’d moved instead of going out of business. This place personifies «mom-​and-​pop» to me.

* I tried. I really did, they are frickin rude here and that’s my número uno hot button
*They have moved too, hopefully for good, I continue to hit up stoneway hardware
*I’m all for supporting the little guy but screw this little guy, they dont even come close to trying to earn your business