When I'm really in a bind to get a part for my home improvement project and don't have the time to order on Amazon and don't feel like driving all the way to Home Depot in Daly City, this is where I usually go to get what I need. It's amazing how much stuff they're able to stuff into such a small space! What I feel really sets Cole Hardware from everywhere else are their monthly wine/chocolate happy hours and discounts if you're a rewards member (free to sign up!). I'll admit, I try to hold off purchases until they have their really good coupon deals (like $5 off a $10 purchase) and like a good customer I ALWAYS end up buying more stuff. Overall, friendly service with weekly "flash Friday" deals and regular happy hours make me a happy person to come and visit and explore their JAM PACKED aisles. Parking is usually pretty easy to find around the block. read more

This review is specifically for Marc Estoque, Locksmith at Cole Hardware. Have you ever had one of those days, where everything wrong happens at once? On Sunday I had a perfect storm of crazy circumstances, all of which caused me to be locked out of my apartment for over two hours. Marc to the rescue! He was professional, kind and generous - everything you need when your day has been turned upside-down. I highly recommend his services. Thank you Marc! read more

I shop here often but only because it's close. Most of the cashiers and staff are friendly but today was different. Admittedly I just wanted some quarters, but I asked as soon as I got there if they offered cash back and the cashier by the door said stoically, "Yes." So I bought some household goods and when he rang me up he didn't explain what to do correctly so I ended up paying for my things without gettin' cash back. Alright. Whatever. I'm not upset yet. So I run and get some paper towels to try again. I said, "Can I get two dollars in quarters." He replied, "I don't have any." Haha! Okay now I'm sad. C'mon now! I'm a cashier; I know that if you don't have quarters in your drawer, you're a screw up. He was just being a little lazy b**** cashier. Well whatever... Seems like they could try a little harder to offer some positive service. A smile here and there doesn't hurt either. Thanks Omar??? read more

This is a review for the referral service only. After trying several times, beginning in 2009, I am giving up totally on this service. They referred me to a furniture refinisher who was never available, to another refinsher who turned out to be a handyman who did not have his own shop but was happy to do the work at my place - no. He sounded too creepy on the phone. And the third time I tried for this particular service the person on the phone told me that "this is hard but try XYZ" (not the real name). The last time I tried the referral service, for a different home service, within the last couple of weeks, I asked that they provide me with the name(s) and I would vet the business myself. Guess what - they didn't listen to me and turned over my email address to the company! Luckily I vetted them, found that there were some questionable practices and didn't contact them. Of course they contacted me and I told them I would not be asking them for any services at all. To try to smooth over my ruffled feathers I was offered a Gift Certificate - well no thank you very much. I don't intend to avail myself of anything having to do with them. I'm very disappointed in their advertising how wonderful Cole Hardware's referral service is when they are a complete bust in my opinion. I question just how much they actually know about the providors, and how current their information is. read more

My husband and I recently moved to the Panhandle from Russian Hill. We loved the staff at the Russian Hill location and while we miss the Russian Hill crew, the Cole Store staff are reminding us why we love Cole Hardware so much. Today, we were assisted by one of the general managers at the Cole Valley store, Any. She exemplifies what good customer service is by taking the time to answer our questions and assisting us with getting our purchase home (it was rather big!). Cole Hardware employees, like Any, make Cole Hardware the wonderful place it is! read more

One of the nicest hardware stores I've ever been to. Packed to the gills with useful and also frivolous adorable stuff. Canning needs? Toys for kids? Gorilla shelving racks? Keys made? All of that stuff. Lots of staff to question. Don't count on parking on that block though. read more

Matthew and Sarah, who worked with us (by phone) at Cole Hardware were terrifically helpful as we organized a gift purchase from the east coast for a local delivery. Walked through all parts of the order, checked for inventory and organized a delivery. Their 5-star rating is well deserved. They helped us to get the best price and the best package too! Love supporting local business. You go - Cole Hardware! read more

If the modern hardware store is defined by service.. then Cole Hardware defines the modern hardware store. Cole Hardware is like a neighborhood Bed, Bath & Beyond. When I need a mixing bowl.. I got o Cole Hardware. When I need Detergent..I go to Cole Hardware. When I need Christmas lights, I go to... you got it Cole Hardware.. They have hodge a podge of everything one needs. read more

There's a whole universe in here. Explore it. I too have had keys made here, and 2 of them don't work so great, but then they are probably 4th or 5th generation keys, so I'm not complaining. My roommate was ecstatic about her zebra and snake pattern keys. Never seen someone so excited about keys. Seriously! read more

This place seems to have everything! I was skeptical about a city hardware store -- seems like something that would only have a good selection in suburbia -- but I was a pleasantly surprised. My boyfriend and I went in for some obscure light bulbs and came out with everything we needed. And a bonus: the bags they use are the cute reusable type, not paper or plastic. We also found parking just around the corner, though it didn't look promising at first. I deduct one star for the lack of available employees: we had some questions, but the one staff member on the floor was always busy and another was a little scary and, as I discovered when I asked a question, quite standoffish. read more

When I moved to SF, I didn't have a single tool to my name. I was a complete idiot about fixing things since I had relied on my then-husband to take care of all the repairs. Suddenly I was faced with apartment maintenance and--darn it-- the closest thing I owned to a tool was my eyelash curler. Did I panic? No I did not. I marched on down to Cole Hardware and these guys set me straight. I am now the proud owner of a drill (and drill bits), hammer, screwdriver, electrical tape, pliers, and I could go on. Thank you to Cole Hardware for your friendly and knowledgable service staff. Most companies need to study you guys to figure out what good customer service is. I'm glad they are here. read more

I hate to write a bad review since the staff are all rather nice, and they do manage to pack a large amount of inventory into a small space, and they have a very neighborhood feel, but I've had two pretty bad experiences recently: 1. I purchased herbs there, and they were infested with aphids. I realize this is a risk whenever you buy plants and we should've checked more thoroughly, but they were small green ones, very hard to see -- until they multiplied and spread all over each plant on our kitchen windowsill. We had to throw away all the herbs we bought, wasting money. 2. I had some paint matched and, while I was warned it wouldn't be exact, it was WAY off -- a very cold (bluish) white rather than the warm sample I brought in. read more

Oh boy, the service continues to be surly and unfriendly. How can it be so hard to be welcoming and friendly to customers?!

I meet friends of mine for "Cole Hardware dates." We're such geeks. We wander around the aisles, fondling the hardware and gossiping. My partner and I are there at least once a week, for all kinds of things--brackets to make the bookshelves earthquake safe; a new light switch; a new drill; a new travel coffee mug. And for all of you who are dying to find an unpretentious nursery where the people really know their stuff, go no further. Go on a Sunday, make a day of it. Hit up Cole Hardware, then cruise the (excellent) garage sales in Cole Valley. If you're there during the week, grab lunch at Zazie, across the street. The burgers there are to DIE for. read more

This place was charging exorbitant prices for masks, hopefully they'll get dinged for price gauging

A great first experience here while quickie shopping for friends on the day they were moving. Like with any hardware store, don't expect much in terms of orderly arrangement, but the folks were very helpful, even pointing to a competitor when a particular item wasn't available. Parking on the other hand - oh well, it is SF. I will leave it at that. read more

Just tried this referral service. I will report back and adjust rating if necessary when we have results. 4-stars for having this referral service. Update: The response was very fast but I wound up not using the vendor that was referred -- no reason in particular. I can't give 5-stars but not due to anything bad that was done by this referral service. I would highly suggest using it if you have no one to turn to for something. Just be sure to complain to the referral service if you have a bad experience with one of their referrals. read more

Well stocked (and fun) hardware store. I could have spent hours in there.

I saw their ad for referral service in Cole's Hardware newspaper. I had a small project so I sent in a request, and in 24 hours they gave me a referral with the name of the person that can help me. They said they would call back within 24 hours to talk to me about my project. That was three weeks ago. You may say, "why don't you call them, you have their phone number". I'm a strong believer, that if a business doesn't want your money than someone else will. I don't have to be running after businesses that don't even have the common courtesy to even call me back talk about my project. 1/2 star if I could give it, for the quick referral contact. read more

Cole Hardware is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Stepping inside takes me back to going to hardware stores with my grandfather in the small town he lived in. Everyone knew eachother and he could walk up to the register to pick up a bag waiting for him with items the owner knew he would need from an earlier conversation. Times have changed and there's probably a few regulars here but it still holds that vibe. This is a hidden treasure, because it's the holiday season as soon as you enter there's a row filled with Christmas lights, ornaments, stockings, etc. What's so different about seeing twinkle lights and ornaments at a hardware store you may ask? They have retro styled lights and Eiffel tower ornaments. Their stockings also include Wizard of Oz themed sets. Away from the front the store offers general needs from pipes, nails to shovels. Just the right amount of items for a local round the corner shop. read more

Easily the best hardware store in the Haight / Cole Valley / Sunset / Richmond districts. An Easter sale combined with a Yelp check-in offer helped me get flowers for my backyard plus cabling and electrical supplies for my computer desk for about $30 total (without discounts it would have been over $50). Helpful staff, and store is layed out well so that they manage to cram tons of stuff in to not that much space. read more

Cole Hardware - Hardware Stores Near Me - San Francisco, California

Cole Hardware was a great local resource when we moved to SF from El Cerrito, and continues to be our hardware store of choice. They've had everything we needed at a reasonable price. However I'm not giving five stars because only about half of their employees seem to have the true hardware store spirit, that attitude that any household problem can be solved reliably and affordably with only items available in the store. We managed to stump one employee with our desire to hang blackout curtains in an apartment where we're not allowed to put holes in the wall; the best he could come up with was a rickety structure of several L-brackets (we eventually figured out on our own that we could stick the curtains to the top of the Venetian blinds with powerful magnets, purchased at Cole Hardware). Another employee insisted that there was no way to attach the Brita filter we had purchased (at Cole Hardware!) to our faucet because it was made of plastic and thus too bendy to be reliable (later, another, more experienced employee recognized immediately the problem I was having, and showed me to the right part). Granted, the Venetian blinds were a tough problem, but I've been spoiled by the competence and can-do attitude of the folks at Pastime Hardware in El Cerrito, which Cole Hardware still can't beat. read more

Yup, they still rock. This time I had them cutting wood shelves for me. For a whooping $3 worth of labor. On a Sunday. At 6:30pm. Wait-- They cut shelves for $3 on a Sunday at 6:30pm. That's just plain awesome. Thanks a lot Erik and Scott. read more

It's no secret that I have a fascination for hardware stores. It must be the idea that everything can be built if you get the right tools... Anyways, I go here because of convenience of transportation but I have to admit that it's a nice nifty store. First of all they have EVERYTHING.... I got my keys done, tomato wire cages, a master lock, arugula and calendula seeds, hose nozzle, bike wall mounts and yes, some tomato plants... Now, that's an eclectic shopping list and they didn't break a sweat...everything was well priced, easily located and I also got a 17% discount for St Patty's day. Thank you Cole Hardware. ^__^ read more

Fan-effing-tastic. Being from the urban sprawl that is Los Angeles, I never had the pleasure of having a local hardware store, much like in the storybooks and tv shows. Having moved to SF recently, I can safely say I now have a local hardware store. Except Cole pretty much has everything you might need. I've been there for all sorts of odds and ends from lightbulbs to diatomaceous earth. Super helpful employees who will go out of their way to get you what you're looking for and make recommendations. And a really great loyalty card program. This is what it means to be great, not a giant. read more

I lived on Stanyan in the mid 90's and have been going there for minor hardware needs. Since then, I've moved around around, and just recently i was in the Cole Valley, and needed a few things. The place has poor customer service and very high prices. Simple and plain. I've read many good reviews for this place, but maybe my fellow yelpers never been to the home depot in Colma, and I can totally understand the support of local businesses, however, in these tough times, penny pinching has become a way of living for many of my family and friends. So I'd rather bay less, get better support when needed, and also faster service. Just my $0.02 read more

I wanted to have some locksmith work done on my front door (to repair the damage done by another locksmith who did an incomplete job) and a Facebook friend recommended Cole Hardware Home Repair. Since Cole Hardware is in my neighborhood I was already familiar with their store, but I wasn't award they offered a service like this. It worked out well: not only was the original work completed to my satisfaction, but a few other issues which bothered me for a long time were also fixed. The extra work drove the cost over the initial estimate, which I expected. Only two gripes: I purchased a new lock (these typically come with two keys) and asked for five keys total, and I paid for both the lock and the keys that came with it ... and the locksmith didn't clean up after himself. Neither of these are big problems, and I haven't bothered to pursue these issues with Cole Hardware because they are, basically, tiny minor issues. I would absolutely invite them back to help with other home projects. read more

I love Cole Hardware and have been a loyal, even eager Mission Street customer living in that neighborhood for 15 years. This review is solely for the fact that I, and expect 10s of thousands of others in San Francisco came home to Cole's July newsletter in my mailbox. I say down expecting the front page to have some reference to the 5 alarm fire that gutted their Mission store, shuttered several other businesses and displaced 60 neighborhood residents. But there is not one word of it. I realize press has lead time but this is a major failure. I'd have thought an organization as generally trusted as Cole would have at least not distributed these newsletters at all this cycle or at best, reprinted with pages on this tragic fire. I'm disappointed, Cole. You're better than this. read more

This place is better than Wal-Mart. Every single time I've gone to Cole Hardware, they have had what I was looking for. I ran them by the true test the other day. On my way home from work, I got a call that I needed to pick up some tennis balls. On the move, and having no idea where to go for tennis balls, I shot and scored at Cole Hardware. Tennis balls! Congratulations, Cole Hardware, you just earned your 5th star. read more

Fantastic hardware store. In the past few years, I have found that I actually really enjoy fixing things. Leaky faucet, broken towel holder, just little things around the house that need a little attention. My dad probably started this interest by 1) being very handy himself and 2) buying me a pretty tricked out toolbox (he put in all sorts of tools as well) when I moved into my first apartment with two other girls. I ended up moving right near Cole Hardware, and I found it such a treat to go into the store to pick up things to fix up the apartment. Also, Cole Hardware has a great selection of items for around the house: cute canisters for storing coffee or flour, teapots, le creuset items, my roommates and I even found a really cute cabinet sort of thingy for the bathroom on sale. My biggest tip for Cole Hardware: look up. I have found so many things on the high shelves that are for sale up there. A good little secret for you all. Anyway, Cole Hardware is well stocked, the staff are really helpful - I just think you will find whatever you want while you are there, probably plus a few things you didn't know you wanted! read more

Now this is a local business worth supporting. I walked in this afternoon hoping to find two additional pegs to replace the ones I lost from IKEA. I didn't feel like driving all the way to Home Depot in case they didn't have it (I didn't know if these were universal pegs or some special ones designed by IKEA). So I took my chance and decided to go to Cole's - hoping for the best. I walked in and was immediately greeted by a nice gentleman. He walked me to the aisle where he thought the pegs were, but when he couldn't find them, he directed me to someone else who could help me locate them better. "Mr. U" walked with me to another spot since all the shelving materials were recently moved, but it wasn't there. When I showed him the exact piece that I was looking for, he walked me to a different area and found the pieces for me. Talk about service! I was reallllllllllllllllllllllllly impressed. Mr. U knew what he was doing and he was really friendly and knowledgeable - my favorite combination as a customer. I will definitely be back! Thanks, Mr. U & Cole Hardware! read more

Cole Hardware does EVERYTHING right. Community involvement, great customer service, good newsletter, easy access gardening supplies, etc... Every location shines and reflects well on their individual customer base. The will try and help you with anything or find out if it can be found if not there in house. Their membership program and professional referral program rocks as well! read more

This place probably isn't in need of another 5-star review, but when you serve your local community so well, that's what you get. I've been going here for 12 years, and they've always been super friendly. Last week we made a major purchase - a Miele vacuum cleaner. A lotta coin! But Tess took a lot of time to help us make a decision on which model was the right one for us, and even demonstrated it for us. We ended up going back three times before finally making the purchase, and she was super nice every time, explaining the differences of each model, the pros and cons, and made sure we ended up with the right one. Lesser salespeople would probably have been annoyed, but Cole really focuses on customer satisfaction, and often that means really understanding where the customer is coming from and going out of your way to make sure they are comfortable with their purchase. Rock on Cole Hardware! read more

Too expensive, but this place has just about everything a hardware store should carry. If time is valuable, and you need something quick, this place usually has it. One nice service they offer the community is taking your old leftover paint. That's much appreciated and it's good business while also being environmentally friendly...makes me more likely to spend my money here. read more

You guys are the BEST! How about if you help out your staff, especially the people manning the outside doors, with new Colve Valley Hardware plush sweatshirts? Winter has just begun and they sure could use new sweatshirts. Merry Christmas! read more

I love this store. It's not in my neighborhood so I don't get to come here as often as I would like. The best part was finding a clerk here that I had known for years at another store, a record store on Market Street near Castro, that closed in the past year or so. I was surprised to see him there, but very happy to see him - he is conscientious and thorough, and just downright good. Good with people, honest, and open. Hard to find at times! Getting what I need here is fun - it's here, it's like a rabbit warren, but there is always someone here ready to help. Looks like an old-timey hardware store and boy does it have stock - up to the high ceilings/rafters! Lots of fun to shop here! Love this place guys! read more

Unfortunately I went back (Sept) and the problem is still the same. Not going to try anymore. A waste of my time.

I just moved to San Francisco about 10 days ago and Cole Hardware store is a few blocks from me. I'm pretty sure that I have been at this store every single day needing something that I forgot and it has EVERYTHING from home goods to hardware. The staff are really nice and helpful and the store is incredibly robus in terms of the inventory that it offers. read more

Pros: they are nearby, they have the weird and particular things that I need to buy, the people who work there are pretty nice, they have a UCSF discount of 10%, it saves me a trip to lowes or home depot. Cons: the prices for many things are higher than at the mega stores (but you also don't have to drive to the mega stores or search through 200,000 square feet to find what you want), the narrow aisles might be difficult for those with physical impairments to navigate during busy hours, and parking could be a little hit-or-miss if you were to drive there. Most importantly, I can get silver polish, spray mounting adhesive and a bathtub hair trap in one quick trip to a store down the street. If I didn't get the UCSF discount, I might take a star off for pricing...but they also regularly have sales that are advertised in their newsletter/circular, so there are still deals to be had. read more

All staff are really helpful excluding some of the folks at the register who are not very friendly towards customers