Tupelo Hardware Co

We were lucky enough to take a tour of Tupelo that included a stop at the Tupelo Hardware Company. What an emotional experience for us! My husband is an avid Elvis fan and he was in awe as soon as we stepped through the door. Our boys, 15 and 13 were amazed at the tall shelves that seemed to stock EVERYTHING that you would need. What a shame we lived all the way in Manjimup, Western Australia or we would have gladly bought more! The best part of our visit was meeting George Booth, who took the time out of his day to chat with us about the history of his family’s shop. He was also genuinely interested in US and where we were from, he was amazed at how far we had travelled to come to his shop.
Of course we took photos of the X that marks the spot where Gladys bought her son’s first guitar. Everything about this store left us feeling awestruck and so glad we were able to see with our own eyes where Elvis visited as a boy.
Highly recommend visiting this hardware store, for hardware as well as a great experience!
Visited September 2015

Great hardware store with everything you’d expect to see in an old hardware store. And, of course, hearing from Connie the story of a young Elvis Presley buying his first guitar instead of a BB gun at Tupelo Hardware really tops it off. I highly recommend buying one of their tshirts — extremely soft and comfy!

If you are in Tupelo, MS to see all of the Elvis spots then this is one that you can’t afford to miss! Elvis’ mother bought him his first guitar here in 1946 for his eleventh birthday. Legend has it that Elvis originally wanted his mother to buy him a rifle. She was able to talk him into getting the guitar instead and the rest is history. Inside the store you can stand on the exact spot where Elvis stood when the guitar was handed over the counter to him. I found that to be so awesome! Apparently not much has changed in this store over the years and it actually is still a functioning hardware store. The employees are really nice here and have no problem giving you a background history on the place if you ask them.

Located in the heart of downtown Tupelo, this old hardware store is not only an important stop on any local Elvis tour, it is a fully functioning hardware store.
This is the place where Elvis came wanting a gun, but settled with mom on a new guitar. The rest, as they say, is history.
Beyond Elvis, the business is fully planted in the here and now. While the old cases, shelves, and signs are a sight to behold, this is no museum. They have everything you would want in a hardware store, well-​stocked and organized neatly. You can even find a guitar here as well.
If you make it to Tupelo, make it here!

The best hardware store ever, from the tiniest screw to some lovely cast iron cooking pots. Two rooms of shelves and goodies with ladders along the walls for the boys to slide along on. This is were ELVIS and his mum bought his first guitar, sure Elvis wanted a rifle but thank god he ended up with the guitar. Stand on the spot were Elvis did and listen to the story narrated by one of the Store boys. Buy a Tupelo Hardware Store T-​Shirt, so cool and only those in the know will see you are part of a special club $ 18. The shop is part of the Elvis Driving Tour.
Established in 1926 a real blast from the past.

Wow like stepping back into time that I had only seen in movies and Handy Manny :)
The staff here is great and seems to have everything you might need. Skip the Big Box chain store and cruise over here.

Very cool history here.
My co-​worker and I came by after visiting the Elvis museum/​home. We were greeted by a very friendly, elderly worker that was eager to tell us the history behind the store.
Funny side note: my co-​worker and I are both Asian. The first thing the worker asked was «Do you speak English?» We were taken aback at first, but then realized he was geniunely asking and haven’t stopped laughing about it since. I told him I was born and raised in Texas, and he said «Ah! You have better English than me then!» Our host, a client out here, was absolutely mortified, but we couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. I’m sure they get tons of tourists from all around the world, and it is definitely a valid question!
Anyhow, after his very in depth and interesting story of the entire Elvis-​related background, he showed us where the guitars were. Asked if either of us played. My co-​worker said she does, so he let her take a go at one of them. If you think about it, that’s pretty freakin cool. She got to play where Elvis bought his first guitar!
As for the store itself, I absolutely loved it. So old school, prices written on tags. Seemed like they had a TON of stuff too. Things hanging on walls up to the ceiling!
This is definitely a destination if you are ever in Tupelo. And if you live in Tupelo, this seems like a great place to buy everything from tools to guitar picks!

Old school hardware store with everything under the sun. Old water fountain in the back. Great selection of pocket knives.
And Elvis stuff including a page written up by the clerk who sold Elvis his first guitar. And a collection of guitars for sale. What more could you ask for?