Best customer service and best quality hardware. Period! Love their products and trinkets!

I appreciate the convenience of the store, and the massive inventory BUT . . . . The THREE times in the past 2 years I have been in there to get keys made, the keys have NOT WORKED. Today I went in to get 2 keys (you think I'd have learned my lesson but I was in a hurry and it's near my house) and today BOTH keys failed. One stuck in the lock, the other one didn't even turn the bolt. Get whatever else you want here, but try to avoid getting keys made. read more

They have a lot of different items aside from tools and hardware! The workers are nice and helpful too. This spot always comes in handy and will continue doing business there! :) read more

NOT BICYCLE FRIENDLY. Popped in to make a few keys for my new house in the neighborhood, to save gas, avoid parking headaches on College Ave and get a little fresh air and was kicked out when I brought my nice, clean single speed just inside the door and set it to the side well out of the way. The sales person (don't know if was a manager but she had that air of authority) was very insistent and unsympathetic even when I expressed I only had a quick errand. I left and went over to True Value Hardware on Telegraph by the Smokehouse where I was greeted with friendly questions about my bike and welcomed to park inside the store for this errand (and others in the past). I won't be going to Cole Hardware again. Plus they charge a lot more for keys to be copied and have made me wait in the past. I very rarely encounter this negative attitude toward bikes in this are, but Cole apparently has an attitude. p.s. a picture of my bike which is neat and clean. read more

Cole Hardware - Oh no! "We can't allow bikes in the store". - Hardware Stores Near Me - Oakland, California

i went to buy a broom. The there was an ok selection but none had prices. I gould a female associate who expressed disbelief that items were not priced and put on a face when i showed her all there did not have a tag. No remorse just stood there. she scanned it using her phone and i understood $14.99. When i went to pay i was told 16.99 and when i pointed out the discrepancy was told "sometimes our prices are higher that the ACE pricing. He was correct , but the nuance is that other ace stores offered the same item for 14.99 (within a 5 mile radius. In fact in the ace website there was 10% discount using the code CYBER 24. The store had multiple ways to make this right. it chose to just make this my problem. BTW four months ago i came here t purchase pvc pipe. i asked the associate whether they would cut a 4' pvc pipe into two pieces at a 45 degree angle. that was considered a special cut that would cost $8. I went to the same place im getting the broom read more

The staff here are so friendly and helpful. I was in on Friday, with a malfunctioning battery drill.... I didn't even buy it here. It is relatively new, and had seized up. I was ready to buy a new one, and Ryan took a look at it and got it functioning again ( although it is on its last legs, even though almost new) He gave me advice and info.... He could easily have immediately sold me a new one and not bothered to help me. This store already has will have my support, but this just confirmed that they really deserve it. Buy local, avoid the big box stores. And kudos to Ryan. read more

Great midsized local hardware store, if they don't have it you probably don't need it as the great Garrison Keillor used to say. In fact I would say it's more than "pretty good!" In addition a very friendly staff will help with your household problems and questions. read more

Look, I am not gonna lie. I enjoy shopping here. I live in Oakland. Buying local is my jam. But listen and listen carefully - DO NOT BUY PRIMER here. I have never run the machine to tint primer. How hard can it be. The manufacturer does not want the retailer to f-up the paint and sully their good name, so I figure if you have an 8th grade education you can tint a quart of paint and or primer. Wrong!!!! My first clue should have been "you sure you want to do this, we don't normally tint primer?" But I have observed other retailers type in the manufacturer's code to tint primer. So I assumed they could do the same. Heck a few years ago, I observed an employee type in the manufacturer's code to make a quart of paint. I had no reason to think this dude was incapable. So I responded, "if you cannot do this, I will go elsewhere." "No we can do it" He then hands the task off to guy number 2, who looked very confused. "Manufacturer has specs for this and I need to get it right." I had some doubts and started to leave the paint in the store without saying a word. But I gave the dude the benefit of the doubt. When I got it on the wall, I realized he screwed up royally. I had to find primer elsewhere. I returned the primer to the store. The store manager refused to refund my money. I can understand if I came in with my own specs and screwed it up. I did not. They screwed up specs from the manufacturer and expect me to eat the cost. Save yourself some time and money and see some real paint pros!!! read more

I go here for things I need and this is a covid19 review. It is pretty crowded in this store with merchandise and the aisles are cramped so you have to work to keep distant from people in here. They have their check out set up for physical distancing and they did that but the layout of their store makes things difficult. I scored some good hand sanitizer here and they are keeping things pretty well stocked. Their prices are Rockridge prices so you will pay more. I like supporting smaller businesses and not having to go to Home Depot so I like going here. Also - they keep their KN95 Masks behind the front counter so you have to ask for those. They have them in packs of 10. read more

Big thanks to Cole Hardware and their employees for being open for essentials during this time. I love this store and I love the employees here. Super friendly and super helpful, always. Also I was feeling the need to write a review to counterbalance the nut that wrote a bad review for Cole's just because they sell Trump toilet paper. While I don't feel the personal need to have Trump's face near any of my private parts ... I'm glad for this choice for others who may want to wipe their bottom with his face. read more

I wish I could give them 6 (or 7) stars! We had a very old light in our hundred year old house that needed to be reinstalled. It was a very tricky problem, that even our electrician had told us was unsolvable--since modern light boxes and crossbars did not attach properly to the light. After carefully thinking about the problem, Jon and Emiel of Cole Hardware fashioned a solution to the problem by taking a readymade crossbar from the store and drilling holes in exactly the right places (and shaving off the ends to make it fit perfectly). I was truly impressed by their ingenuity and thoughtfulness. And the cost was incredibly reasonable. This hardware store really lives up to its reputation! ps. I added a photo of the light- please show Jon & Emiel! read more

Cole Hardware - Old light - Hardware Stores Near Me - Oakland, California

The employees at Cole Hardware in Rockridge are absolutely wonderful to work with. I placed an order for pickup via text for soil and plant food recently. Kia responded, promptly checked stock and gave me a call to help process my order over the phone and better understand the pickup process. She was very supportive in helping me find what I needed which I truly appreciated as I know it is a lot to have to run around to check on things for people like me texting in orders (thank you so much, Kia). The experience overall was quick and flawless. The gentleman who brought out my order to put in my trunk was also really sweet. Just great people all around which I loved. I hope to one day visit inside the store when things calm down due to the pandemic, but I absolutely will be back and highly recommend this shop. read more

Yassss this place has everything you need! From planters to kids toys, literally anything your heart desires. I gotta admit the prices are comparable to Home Depot--so support local! I did notice that there was not many floor staff that could help out which was a bummer. They do have cleaning supplies, masks and gloves for these covid times. The store was pretty packed when I went but they started limiting the amount of customers at some point. Downstairs is where all the regular hardware stuff is like light switches, tubing, etc. upstairs is all the random knick knacks. Basically this is a store you want to walk every aisle in. read more

Rip-offs!! I usually like the Cole Hardware stores in SF. Today, I went to Cole's in Rockridge to get seven different keys copied. I went to use the seven keys at two apartment buildings and one didn't work. I went back to Cole's and they redid one key and it worked. Tonight, I was looking at the receipt and Cole's overcharged me on my credit card!! It turns out they round off your charges up to the next dollar without telling you - the customer, even if you are using a credit or debit card! In other words, they are ripping off every customer that buys something. In my case, it was $.81! Not a huge amount, but they don't even tell you. The receipt labels the overcharge, "Spare change 1 EA." Below it, the receipt says, "Spare change charitable donat." WTH! There is no sign, no verbal notice, nothing!! So they are taking hundreds of dollars everyday from unknowing customers! I don't give a crap if it's supposedly going to charity - it's an unauthorized charge on my and everybody else's credit/debit card. I even made a comment to the clerk about how high the cost of the keys were compared to other Coles. And he didn't ask if I wanted to donate my change or tell me about the extra charge! NADA! read more

Super knowledgeable and accommodating staff. Highly recommended over big chains like Home Depot where it's next to impossible to wade through the incompetent tower of bureaucracy and get help from anyone. read more

I have a plan of painting my exterior of my garage. I have the paint color number but didn't really know what I was doing. I walked into the paint area and a nice senior citizen female employee asked me if I needed help. I explained what I was doing and she helped with with every aspect of the paint job. She let me watch the paint recipe pour into the can and I could see all the colors that were going into the paint. She was a wealth of information. She even brought my paint and primer to the cashier for me and then asked the cashier to bring it outside to my car. I don't think I was ever treated so good and I will return to ace hardware in Rockridge again. read more

Went in today to get a key made. After waiting at the counter where the keys I went looking for someone to help me...very uncharacteristic of Coke's I have to say. I saw a group of employees hanging together down one of the isles and asked if someone could cut a key for me. Ellen said in a very rude tone, "you could have asked the cashier and they could have radioed us. It would save your caterwauling." Sorry I don't know CCS (Coles Communication System) and I find it offensive that she would accuse a customer of "caterwauling". If you don't like serving the public Ellen, I suggest you get a new job. read more

This place is full of helpful people and it is well-stocked. One negative for me: many of its employees smoke cigarettes and when I went there last week the store reeked of cigarettes. Which makes me want to skip it next time I need to get something from a hardware store. read more

I've loved Cole Hardware since my first experience at the Cole Valley, S.F. location in the early 90's. More recently, i've been going to the College Ave, Oakland location, where i just rented a carpet/upholstery cleaning machine. Good experience. Real people who help. read more

I love this store but they are really understaffed and the staff is really inattentive. Like 20 minutes waiting downstairs for help and then 15 minutes upstairs to cash out. One cashier and ten people in line and one staff chatting while making keys. read more

Bought a kettle here and used it once. it was a glass whistling kettle for use on a gas range. The kettle wasnt good, the handle got too hot to the point where I couldn't hold it comfortably. Tried to exhange it the next day for nicer kettle and was told that the item is not returnable since I used it. The clerk said because COVID. He wasn't nice about it or helpful beyond telling me no. This doesn't make sense to me because they'll accept returns for other things like tools? Which you also hold with your hands? Also this return policy wasn't posted anywhere in the store or on the receipt .Im so annoyed I'll likely never shop here again which is unfortunate because I was excited about the place when I found it. It wasn't an expensive kettle but just the level of uncaring I experienced trying to exchange it felt awful. This was my 3rd experience here and before this, I liked it because of the sheer variety of products they had and I felt good about buying from a local business. I even signed up for a rewards account the first time I shopped here. To think I almost bought a t shirt lol. This is why people shop on Amazon. Moral of the story, check the return policy before you buy. To the owner, maybe rethink your return policy on products like this. It's completely unreasonable and makes your business seem tacky. read more

Cole Hardware - Hardware Stores Near Me - Oakland, California

Horrible Place. Do not patronize this business. Horrible service. Including a woman named Mary. They tagged a Christmas tree to hold for me this morning. And I came back to pick it up and it is no longer here. No trees anywhere for my three boys and i came in early here to get the tree and they have sold it to someone else. It was explicitly tagged with a big red tag of theirs saying it was SOLD and they sold it again apparently. Horrible behavior by a hardware store. Few days before Christmas. Just horrible. Nice way to treat customers!!!! read more

Cole Hardware has a great selection of merchandise. I can't say the same for the customer service at the register; which is why I'm giving the low star rating. I didn't catch the the name of the employee at the register, but she wasn't very nice. I asked if she could check the price for an item that didn't have a price tag on it and she begrudgingly looked it up for me. Given her attitude I should have just left the store, but I ended up buying the item. read more

I really appreciate this hardware store - they really give you personal attention and try to understand everything you need. The entire team is incredibly friendly, nice and knowledgeable. I was helped by Damion for everything I needed; from paint match (spot on) to drywall support to just being a positive person. Really amazing guy that is so helpful. Love this store - I'd give them six stars if I could. read more

Cole Hardware is a Solutions Store! I stopped by to buy a tool to fix a stuck toy, but Lori at the store took on the "stuck" challenge and actually unstuck the toy. Stop at Cole Hardware first for answers for your household upkeep needs - you'll have your solution and leave with a smile as well! read more

This is the best hardware store I've ever been to, and that's not a sentence I would have imagined myself typing about a hardware store. What makes it so good? Their selection is impeccable. I actually go to Cole's for my kitchen ware rather than the kitchen only store in Montclair. Their service is also outstanding. For example, I wanted to buy a flash light for my son, and I looked at the $50 head lamps. The lady at the counter asked if I had seen these LED lights at the check out for $15, which were just as bright, if not brighter! Yesterday I asked for an umbrella recommendation, and another lady picked out a $10, which worked great, over the $50 and $20 they had. I'm sure I could've figured out that the $10 was the best deal if I spent time going through every umbrella, but I felt like I didn't need to spend my time because of the trusted staff. They also have a great knife sharpening machine, and the man working told me that there are only about 6 of these machines existing in the US. Lastly, they have a rewards program that gives back 1% of your purchases; you just have to give them your phone number. read more

A very welcome addition to Rockridge! Cole Hardware is a well-organized and clean hardware store with friendly and helpful staff that reminds me a lot of Super Longs. In addition to all the things you'd want at a hardware store, you can also find live plants, reading glasses, toys for children, household items, plastic storage bins and cleaning supplies. All at perfectly reasonable prices. They also offer great services like a Rent-A-Tote Program where you can rent sturdy, easy to carry, plastic storage bins to move instead of scrounging for or buying cardboard boxes. Plus, it always feels good to support the local economy. According to the sign on their door, for every $100 you spend at Cole, $68 will stay in the community. If you spend the same amount at a national chain, only $43 stays in the community. Welcome to the community Cole Hardware! We're happy to have you. TIP: You can sign up for a free rewards card but I'd recommend waiting until your first big purchase because you get 5% off your first purchase only. read more

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It is hardware and home goods porn for the makers' soul. Two glorious floors filled with kitchen ware, jars, paint, and all the usual things people needing hardware need. Right in the middle of Rockridge half a block from Bart. It is especially strong in housewares. read more

Cole Hardware - Hardware Stores Near Me - Oakland, California

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Once I stopped going to Home Depot coz of Trump, I started getting my stuff at Cole's. The customer service is spot on. I needed a ton of help after moving into a house nearby right before shelter in place. Every time I'm here, I get all my questions answered. A couple of nights ago, I was there for a diy project of putting up patio string lights. A staff person named Ryan was super helpful. Very knowledgeable and genuine. No mansplaining, no condescension. Just top notch service all the way. I truly appreciated that! read more

Cole Hardware, a slice of SF's Cole Valley in the heart of Rockridge, is making it easy for those of us who don't want to fritter away our time looking for hard-to-find items like fancy-pants LED Edison light-bulbs. FYI: The Ace Hardware on Clement and 2nd in the city has them perpetually on back order, but these guys actually had them in stock. For those of us who hate to shop at the big box stores for our hardware needs (because it can be an overwhelming experience) Cole Hardware Rockridge hits the spot. Again, I'll take a mom-n-pop-type-shop in an attractive neighborhood surrounded by other businesses--book shops, coffee shops, bath and body care shops--I also patronize over dizzying Home Depot and the like any day of the week. The range of super social and professional to distant and barely syllabic can be found among the staff at Cole. Like my mom used to say (and I hated), 'It is what it is'. **Located approx. one block from Rockridge Bart read more

The mood here is half trendy and half mom & pop. I initially went in to check out a small planter for my herb garden and was promptly greeted by several employees without feeling pressured or odd. I had a few questions and the team worked together to help me come up with a low cost solution. Before I left I signed up for their membership card and received a small discount. I liked the planter so well that I returned to secure a few more via special order. Not only was the transaction hassle free, but again everyone was friendly and eager to be of service. The place is relatively small, boutique like but well stocked with what appears to be quality merchandise. Other than the challenge of parking on College Ave this is a real gem. Last, the company delivers via Google Express. read more

Cole Hardware - Organic cilantro is just one herb you'll find out front. - Hardware Stores Near Me - Oakland, California

Thanks Damien (from Detroit)! Memorial Day weekend and looking for a plumbing part when everything was closed made my job so difficult. I couldn't find the part I needed so Damien helped me find it. He took the extra time to search and search! Now my job is done. Customers have their water back and I hope Damien is recognized for his efforts. read more

Fast and friendly key making service. Open until 7pm - helpful. Friendly staff. Street parking.

This has gotta be the cleanest hardware store I've ever been in. The layout is a bit odd, having been converted from something else - previously on this spot was a furniture store - with an upstairs of regular hardware, and a slightly hidden staircase downstairs to fittings, bolts and the like. The staff do seem very nice, and this is just the kind of hardware store that I think will do well in Rockridge - the next closest are the Ace on Piedmont (hopelessly crammed) and the one on MLK (counter service only). I don't have any immediate need for anything from a hardware store, but if I can avoid a trip to Emeryville and Home Depot, then that's great too. read more

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Row and rows of stuff. If you can't find it here, then you need a different solution. Friendly and helpful staff. Only downside is lack of parking. read more

Love this store. I'm a frequent customer who lives nearby and am typically there often. I'm always so impressed by their selection and the helpfulness of the employees who wander the aisles. However, tonight (Tuesday @ 5:30) I had a less than awesome experience checking out. The cashier just didn't care at all -- no real greeting, didn't offer a bag, really quite apathetic. I even had to reach across the counter to collect my things after he finished ringing me up. Perhaps I'm being overly critical, but I have found the customer service here to always be so good - that this interaction really stood out. The apathetic attitude was just disappointing. Maybe I'm longing for the days when I was a cashier and I made a point to actually acknowledge my customer's existence and interact with them. You are the face of the organization! read more

I really love Cole Hardware for all of my house projects. Great customer service, I even love that I can text them with questions without having to stop by or call and talk with someone. They've also kept up great hours during covid which is also appreciated. Want to give props to Emiel in the paint department with getting me the special samples I needed. And I'm starting to do some plumbing projects and have been helped multiple times by Damion who works on the lower level. He's incredibly knowledgeable and always ready to help me find what I'm looking for and give me advice. read more

The BEST hardware store in town! Incredible service and top notch selection. I go here weekly and always find what I need with some help from their no nonsense staff. A neighborhood gem! Special shout out to Sam - she is super knowledgeable and friendly! read more

The floor staff were helpful, however the staff at the registers were so incredibly rude that I abandoned my possible purchases in the quest for fair prices in a pleasant atmosphere, which notably.i did not find at the Emeryville Target. Where is the love East Bay??? Feeling some East Bay hate to a Silicon Valley gangsta... read more

I visited this store a few times over the years, thinking I'd support a local business and I've consistently found the staff to be un-helpful, to the point of rudeness. Perhaps they are only cordial to their regular customers, but with 'strangers' (and potential new customers like me) they either scrutinize them as if they are about to steal something or they are downright curt. Today I needed a mop brush replacement and I asked one of their employees--after already exploring the area of their cleaning products -- whether it was something that was still produced. The woman barely glanced at the sample I had with me, turned her back to me and said : "Look at the cleaning wall!", and then went about her business. Needless to say, if this is the experience you get by patronizing a store, better find your product on Amazon. I won't be back. read more