What an absolute gem in the neighborhood. While visiting from SoCal we were in need of a plunger. Upon entry I was absolutely amazed at the amount of inventory in this store! Yes, it appears a little disorganized but there was indeed a system to it all. The family that ran the store were very helpful and pleasant. I highly recommend shopping at this locally owned store for your hardware needs. read more

I really like this place but the 5 stars assumes you apply a little common sense. They don't have everything a Home Depot would - how could they? And if you don't want to ask for help you probably can't find anything. But that being said, if you are in the middle of some project and realize you're short on something it's a tremendous time saver. Not just for the homeowner but I know local contractors that shop there when they're in the area and run out of caulk or whatever - yes, they're a little more, but the time saved versus driving to a big box store from that part of San Leandro is substantial. Sometimes the important thing is to get back on the job. Just go in, look for the lady who runs the place, tell her what you want. She'll either say, sorry, we don't have that or more likely say oh, it's on this aisle 3/4 of the way back on the bottom shelf labeled such and such. If it's in a hard to find area she'll walk you over. You buy it, you leave. In and out in 2 minutes. Get a doughnut next door as your reward. read more

we love this hardware store. as fellow yelpers mentioned, this is a local, independent, small business that has been around for YEARS (decades). although it's stuffed silly with a wide variety inventory, they make good use of their footprint. btw, their footprint is a fraction of the size of home depot or lowes and this shop has what you need -- impressive huh? what's more, you get better service and helpful advice without having to stand in long lines or deal with rude staff. they'll even special order your items without a service charge. read more

It may be quaint and "old fashioned" and honestly, I'd much rather give my business to this type of place over Home Creepo, but I've found this hardware store to be pretty much useless on the two times I've visited. On top of that, the prices are astronomical, and oftentimes made up at the register. On my last visit, I went looking for the most common electrical part in hardware. A simple BX connector. The guy there was quick to help even before I was in the door. We walked over to the electrical section and pointed to a few ratty boxes and told me I should look and he'd be right back. Each box had like a dozen different and obscure fittings some of which aren't even code anymore and are not allowed to be used. No BX connector of any kind. When the guy came back to "help", he went through each box one by one and pulling out a part saying "Is this it?". "Is this it?", "ok is this it?". It was kind of comical. Ok not everyone knows electrical, but if you run a hardware store and you don't know what a BX connector is, you've got problems. I needed to get this system I was working on activated, at least overnight, so I just picked up some romex connectors. I notice no price on it, but I see other similar connectors for 49 cents each. I get to the register and he rings me up at 98 cents each. A total 100% invented price. I didn't say anything. My meter was expiring and so was I. I just wanted to get out. Never mind that these things normally go for about 29 cents each in the real world. I also got an old dusty weatherproof box for exterior receptacles. Price? $15.99. Just about double the going price. The previous time here, I had glass cut. It was a small piece about 8" x 12". When we got in the car, my girlfriend asked "Wasn't $28 a lot for that small piece)? I said I didn't know as I haven't had to buy glass in a long time. I soon found out later that I paid about 3 times the going rate. Trust me, I honestly want places like this to thrive, but this ain't it. Does it have a lot of stuff? You bet! Talking can openers, Australian licorice, electric bug swatters, candy bars. If that's what you want in a hardware store, than maybe it might work out for you. zero stars for price, availability, knowledge 1 star for the owners being friendly. read more

This cool little neighborhood hardware store has everything, and was able to help me with exactly what I needed without waiting too long or driving to Home Depot and spending way too much time. When I need something in the future, I will check here first. This is my new go-to spot for keys too. read more

Just went in to have three keys made for my son's house. Job was completed right away and all the keys work well. Store is more than adequately staffed, and they have quite an inventory. Makes me long for a local hardware store where I live in Santa Clara. You don't realize how important they are until they've been replaced by the big chains and you get no service and it's a crapshoot if you'll find the product you really want/need. Treasure this gem San Leandro. read more

Recently, my son went to Dutton Ace looking for some parts he needed to fix a gate. He asked the owner, a man in his 50's, for some assistance. My son was apparently belittled by the owner for not selecting the right part. When it came time to pay, the owner dealt with others before my son even though people in line said my son was there first. This corresponds with the treatment my son in law, who is from South America and has a bit of an accent, was treated in this store. My son in law is a high school math teacher and my son has been gainfully employed for many years. Neither of them look 'sketchy'. I'm an older guy who has has similar experiences with the owner. It's too bad the owner's mother is no longer there. She was not only knowledgeable, but very nice as well. None of us will shop there again. We'd rather travel the extra distance to Pete' Ace in Castro Valley. It's well stocked, has knowledgeable sales personnel and we've never been treated poorly. read more

Great customer service from the lady and the younger boy who hangs out in the store on weekends. If you don't like clutter, you shouldn't shop at this store. If you want a great, small hardware store experience...then you should put up with the clutter and try this place the next time you need that odd piece of plumbing, nut, bolt, etc. I found the replacement bars and locking screws to repair the 60 year old door knobs in my house and a repair kit for an older toilet. You'd have a hard time at OSH (still a favorite of mine) and even harder time at HomeDepot. You do have to be aware of the shelve life of some of the consumables however. I bought weather stripping once and it was just too old for the glue to still work. Instead of browsing around, most times I just tell the lady what I am trying to do and she points me in the right direction....then I browse around after to find the little jems in the piles of stuff. read more

I tried giving them some business by shopping the local mom & pops in the neighborhood but they didn't stock the items I was looking for. Some of their products sit on the shelves a long time before they're sold so beware. I bought spray paint that wouldn't spray and had to drive back and exchange. Things are cheaper at Walmart and Home Deport, a short drive away. read more

This review is for Ace in general and Dutton in particular. I needed a bunch of hard to find picture-hanging devices and 1st of all, Ace Hardware the corporation is the only place where I found these - not even art stores carry them. Kudos to Ace for having the well-engineered fittings. 2nd, I called several local Ace's looking for the total quantity and various sizes I needed and everyone I spoke to seemed bright, on top of it and willing to take a few extra steps, ask the right questions and generally be helpful. I ended up going to 2 stores and in both stores people remembered that I'd called and wanted to make sure I'd found what I needed. Compare that to the nightmare of Home Depot, although I'm not sure which would be worse - shopping at Home Depot or being a staffer there; they seem so numbed and beaten-down. At Dutton, the owner asked me if he could help as soon as I came in and then he really proceeded to help me - we ended up sorting piles of fixture sizes on the floor and he wasn't "being patient", he truly wanted to make sure I got what I needed. He inspected 3 slightly different models of fixture and declared one model unsuitable for my technical needs and one unsuitable for the very minor aesthetic needs I sort of mumbled about. He totally gets it. He even knew how his stock of these fittings compared to the other Ace locations. When I'd called he hadn't even needed to look on his shelves to tell me how many he had. His mother is also wonderful - I ended up with 2 subtotaled purchases to collect into 1 and she breezed right through multiple bags of identical items and got it right without any effort while charmingly chatting about what I was going to do with the stuff. Dutton is open until 7 pm! Laurel Ace is open until 8 pm and since Laurel is right up the road I think their stocks complement each other. Both stores are crammed full of everything useful, but Dutton in particular. read more

Super cute, friendly family-owned and operated neighborhood ACE hardware store!

Once again, my go to place. Vastly improved selection and customer service. It serves the area well. Glad they are here.

This entire family is absolutely wonderful. They not only go the extra step to help you, they go the extra mile. If they do not have your item in stock, which is an extreme rarity, they will find it for you. read more

Good old fashioned, well-stocked hardware store. Hard to come by a good one these days, and this one's real close to home. The owner is very helpful. I came in with a handful of parts and an obscure problem to solve and we came up a with a good cheap solution. On the downside, the prices are a bit higher than I would pay elsewhere. read more

Old school neighboorhood hardware store experience. They've got everything and more than you would expect from a mom and pop operation. Save your time and ask for help finding stuff. So, support your local business. read more

Excellent service. I needed to replace my shower head.

They had the Merv 13 Home air filter that I desperately needed to get smoke out of the house. The guys were no-nonsense help and really appreciated that! read more

I do love this place -- so much so, in fact, that when my 88-year-old father came to visit I took him there because I knew he'd love it, too. They have always had what I needed, and the multigeneration family that runs the place is very friendly and helpful. My only issues are that they are not open on Sundays (which is when I often need a hardware store) and I don't know what time they open in the morning, and there are no signs to tell me. Still, overall I think that this is one of the hidden gems of San Leandro! read more

Ace Hardware is one of the finest places at the shop very friendly always it's not like it's not like other hardware stores that just point you in the direction and you're still going out to find it on your own I like my local Ace Hardware and I will continue shopping there if they don't have it they'll get it thanks guys you're doing a good job and I appreciate you and your staff read more

They have some of everything and the staff are actually friendly and knowledgeable. Worlds apart from the bug box stores. It's a family business and I like that about a local store as well. read more

Throwback to old school hardware stores. If you need it, its probably jammed in there somewhere. I like the cramped aisles and crazy warren of things going to the back. Have some patience and look around. You will probably end up with more things for projects than you came in for. read more

This store is for nice people that like nice people, and are not afraid to say "hello". That's all it takes to be helped in finding exactly what you want; it's in there. And once you've made this your "go-to" spot for all things big and small... you will start to find there is an order to the kaos, and you to can start to find things quickly and efficiently. --- All others head to Home Depot. :o) read more

Never in my experiences have I encountered such hospitality and cleanliness. The service is fast, efficient, and helpful. They offered superb advice and directed me to the proper parts needed to fix my toilet when I was staying in San Leandro. read more

Whenever I need ANYTHING for my home or garden, I go straight to Dutton Ace Hardware. They have EVERYTHING I have ever needed and more. Occasionally, I have needed a specialty item & they've found it for me. Talk about service! I highly recommend them. No item is too small for them to care about. They are the BEST! read more