Gregory Pank is a good old-fashioned hardware store located on Digbeth Highstreet. The shop seems…read moreto be a bit of a hidden gem. It shouldn't be: this place sells probably just about everything a budding DIYer or seasoned craftsperson could want. When you enter the shop your nostrils are filled with the scent of DIY history. Whether you're after glue, polyfiller, drill bits or string (all things I've been in for) you need only ask one of the very knowledgeable staff at the counter and they'll scurry off into the depths of the store to find it (or suggest numerous alternatives if they can't).

I'm going to make some bold statements with this place. First up it is my favourite shop in Acocks…read moreGreen. I also think it must be the best hardware store in Birmingham. Jeffries is a huge hardware business that stocks all the standard nuts and bolts plus a huge selection of outdoor planting, perfect for this time of year, and has a large gardening section at the rear of the store. Recently I was after some fence protector and after a visit to a huge DIY shop felt frazzled by the choice in products, colours and price. One trip to Jeffries and I got exactly what I needed, no fuss, a great price and I parked my car at the rear of the store to load up. I also recently discovered they do key cutting. They stock a wide selection of pet products. The beauty of this place is that they've always got what you need and know exactly what you are asking for. On the very slim chance they don't stock what you are after they know where you should go to get it. Amazing staff and service.

Need a hardware item for your garden and/ home? Take a look here as I'm sure they'll have it! There…read moreare lots of little sections in this shop like their garden hardware, animal treats and carpet sections. It was a nice little surprise when discovering each area here. In summary it's a big hardware store that sells all (or at least most) of the nuts and bolts you need for your home and they have a big garden centre. If they don't have what you want then the staff can tell you where to get it. The shop is mainly for people who want to buy anything to do with DIY for their home. I came in here in search of a few things for home and, I don't mean to offend anybody by stereotyping, as a woman in a hardware store I didn't know where to look first. The staff were friendly and polite enough however to put me in the right direction. If you need any hardware for your home and garden then it's worth giving this store a visit.

Saifee is my local hardware store, so maybe i'm biased and yeah I love hardware stores so again…read morewhat's to fault! Key cutting services are available along with all of the other cool stuff available. Yeah you know, axes big hammers the like, so if there ever is a bath salt induced Zombie Apocalypse Mr Saifee is going to be rubbing his hands together with glee as the demand sends his profits through the roof! Saifee aint going' nowhere, Hardware Stores do a steady trade whatever the economic forecast and it's worth a gander for the charm alone.

Saifee's is a dependable hardware store. A store for the practical minded who are satisfied with…read moreleaving that leaky tap for someone else to attend to or to let that draughty window to give them another poor nights sleep. The shelves are stacked high and if you know what you want it's likely Mr Saifee will know where to look. The key cutting service here is the only one I've experienced in recent years where they have worked the first time, which casts shame on some undisclosed big names. The minnows of local hardware continue to punch well above their weight.

I have popped in here a few times, when I have been in the area and always found what I have been…read morelooking for, which is usually something boring and home related - I think last time I bought a couple of plastic storage boxes (yawn!). The store is fairly large inside and stocks a variety of different items for home and garden as you would expect. I like the fact that the staff are helpful and friendly in here and I think that it makes such a difference compared to the, sometimes rather intimidating staff at the big chain DIY stores. They always ask me if I need any help or advice in here and they seem to genuinely want to help their customers. I have found that the prices are fairly cheap for a DIY store too, which is always a bonus. I would recommend this to anyone in the local area!

In the takeaway dominated section of the Bristol Road South, in Northfield, lies a rare commodity…read morein the form of Dennings Home Garden and DIY, which sells (you guessed it!) supplies for homes, gardens, and DIY equipment. A deceptively large store once you get inside, the name may initially sound like it's bitten off a bit more than it can chew, but it certainly makes a very good go at it. Numerous times I've been in looking to pick up one thing or another, and (unlike U2) have always found what I'm looking for. From plants to power tools and flooring to light fittings, you can assume that if you're looking for something in terms of DIY, Dennings will probably have it. Better yet, the shop has a charming, local feel, a much more pleasant atmosphere than the soulless chains, and the staff are always knowledgeable and helpful. Highly recommended.

This is my local go to hardware store. They have everything you need for most DIY projects - paint,…read moretools, lighting, gardening tools, fertilisers, weed killer and pesticides, and much much more. They also cut keys and sell Calor gas . I sometimes think this place is like a TARDIS, they stock so much in a small store.

Always got what you need and it's cheaper than anywhere else. Has anything I can think of even if…read morehe doesn't have it in stock the owner will get it in for the following day. The staff are very welcoming and give me advice step by step. Overall a great service!

they are now closed. No longer trading due to retirement .when they were trading they were excellentread more

If there's a job to be done around the house, then I'd rather someone else do it than do it myself…read more And I'm lucky(?) in that I follow in my mainland European roots by renting rather than owning my home, so it is usually up to someone else to arrange and carry out repairs. This shop is particularly handy for one thing. The owner must have close links with someone who works at a weather station. He always knows when it will snow and as soon as the blanket of white falls there will be plastic sledges on display. Its either that or he has loads of sledges in storage somewhere and just plonks them out front, but that's not a very mystical or magical explanation. So, when Argos have run out of human-propelled snow vehicles, and you are at a loose end, here is where to come.

If you ever need a light bulb, WD40, a handful of nails or a gazillion other DIY related items,…read morethen this place is king. I have never gone into this shop and been unable to find what I'm looking for. It is stacked from floor to ceiling with useful stuff. The staff are really knowledgable and helpful. The last time I went in I needed some clear grout for the kitchen. Had absolutely no idea where to find it, what it was or how to use it. When I turned up in the shop I also had my son in the pushchair. The guys behind the counter patienty explained what I would need, went to get it for me as I couldn't manoeuvre the pushchair round the narrow shelves and then showed me how to use it. Thy even fitted the grout ino the gun thingy for me. Now, that is hat I call service. The price is good, the service great and it's a bit like a DIY grotto, what more could you possibly want from a local shop.

I love this shop so much. It embodies everything that is wonderful about independent, old…read morefashioned stores. Before I bought my house I didn't really appreciate shops like this. Now I am a responsible grown up this is the kind of place I love visiting. Basically it does exactly what it says on the tin and stocks everything you would ever need for your house or DIY projects. The chap that runs the places is so helpful and can even give you advice for those tricky little jobs around the home. Currently, they also have a good stock of outdoor plants ready to go into pots or the garden. This is what I stopped and bought but I will be back anytime I need a DIY product for my house. Great price too.

We could all do with a shop like this in our street, and it needs to be open 24/7. It is simply…read morebrilliant. This is an emporium of delights, a real pleasure to visit. Many of us tend to visit B&Q (whatever that stands for) or Homebase for anything DIY but I urge you to drop by this store and compare not only prices but the service. I'll admit, I am useless when it comes to anything DIY and I am fed up with visiting the aforementioned chain stores because whenever I ask questions, the 12 year-old, happy to help staff member I'm met with has the same look as me, they're as clueless as I am. This is not what I need! I need someone who knows what I might be talking about and this is why I take full advantage of the word "useful" in Jeff's Useful Shop. There is nothing about hardware the staff in shop don't know about. It's well stocked, if your house needs it, it'll be in this shop.

Manjits supplies all of the materials for you home DIY projects…read more They have an enormous range of industrial woods, to construct anything you wish out of. In my case lots and lot of shelves of different sorts in many different locations. Their store of household, kitchen, bathroom and well any-room materials and bits and bobs is huge and there's no doubt that if you need to replace that strange halogen lightbulb that you never knew existed until it broke they will have it in stock. They are the king of industrial and craftsman supplies in the Kings Heath area.

Manjits is what I would refer to as a builders yard…read more It's got the big stuff. You know the heavy stuff, the slabs the bricks and a flat bed truck to deliver them on. Manjits also does plumbing and bathroom supplies inside their trade counter and have all sorts of fixtures and fittings that will help you with that loose tap. Manjits have been around for a while and no doubt gained a lot of know how in their time in the game. When visited we recieved a good service and the shop was recieving a steady amount of custom. Whether you're in the trade or just completing a little DIY, Manjit's provides and alternative to the larger DIY stockists and in my opinion provide a better service with a more specialist knowledge. It's located on the Alcester Rd and also provides home delivery for anything you can't carr home with you.

Tool Discount Centre…read more Perhaps it was growing up thrilled by the exploits of Tv's McGuyver or maybe it's just a weird fetish of mine but I have a thing for Hardware Stores and more specifically tools. That's right, those pointy sharp edged wooden handled, weighty things that you can swing and sink into earth, chop at wood with or use to open tins of food. Yes I am a tool freak. Chisels, files, hammers, axes, I could go on, but a mere list would not do justice to the beauty and realisation of simply holding such devices in your hands let alone putting them to work. If you're a Selly Oak resident and like me jump at the chance to get hands dirty with some DIY or handy craft, Tool Discount Centre is your best bet on the high street, with a wide range of tools for both inside and out, it's brimming with useful bits of kit and the prices seemed very reasonable.

This is the kind of establishment which gives the customer exactly what you would expect, tools for…read moreall manner of jobs at very low prices. I like the no frills approach of Tool Discount Centre, it is not exactly slick and aesthetically pleasing but that is because it doesn't need to be. This is the place where DIY fanatics go to indulge in a spot of browsing and come away with all manner of obscure items for household improvement work. There aren't too many of these establishments left as the market is now monopolised by places such as Homebase or Wilkos but bear in mind a place like Tool Discount Centre because you will get great service from knowledgeable people at low prices.