I just had a horrific experience at Foster Farrar in Northampton, specifically the lock shop. A couple years ago they programmed a new key fob to my Sienna so I thought it would be safe to have them order a new key fob for my Prius- the key battery kept dying even after repeated battery replacement. When ordering the new key they did not ask for the VIN even though when I called Toyota dealership they said they needed the number to give me an accurate quote. They quoted me $400 and I paid a $200 deposit. When the key came in, I sent my 18 year old to get the new key programmed to the car. After over 20 minutes of trying, they declared it was the wrong key, and that they needed to order a new one. When my daughter turned on the car, she got a new error message that she had never seen before "Check Hybrid System, Stop the Vehicle in a Safe Place". Panicked, she called me and also went into the store to show then the message. They did not help and I told her to go to Northampton Tire where they instructed her not to drive the car far and to bring it back on Monday. After an hour of labor and running diagnostics, they were able to clear the message and ensure that there was nothing wrong with the car battery. That cost us $160. I called foster farrar and explained that their errors caused us to get a code that made us afraid to drive the car and had to take it to Northampton tire. They said that there was absolutely no connection between them trying to install the incorrect key for 30 minutes and us getting the error message immediately after turning on the car. Furthermore, they said to me that it was not the wrong key, but rather just a "different key" (at which point I said "is this real life?!"). They also lied and said that my daughter said that she saw that message all the time which is completely untrue. She walked in and told them she gotten a key not detected error message before when the key battery was dead, but that she had never seen this new code before. Had they not tinkered with the car using the wrong key fob we never would have had to take the car to Northampton tire to run the diagnostics and remove the code. The person I spoke to at foster farrar was incredibly rude. He said he would never give me the $160 because it was in no way his fault. After much back and forth he said he would talk to the worker who worked on the key and call me back the next day. When he called back the next day he continued to cut me off, refusing to let me speak. He said he would reimburse my deposit because he refused to work on the car, and then he hung up on me as I protested mid-sentence. I am truly disgusted by this level of unprofessionalism displayed by foster farrar employees. I cannot fathom walking back into that store to get my deposit. As a small business owner myself, I would never dream of treating someone the way I was treated, especially after making such a grave error. Please, save yourself time money and heart ache go get your new key fobs at a car dealership that knows what they are doing and aren't abusive to their customers. read more

shop has helped me on several occasions now. Reputable places with good information are becoming few and far between. I recently dropped my key fob in the toilet. I tried putting it in rice doing all the things I heard then I called the dealer who I bought my car from less than a year before find it was more than $900 to replace the key/fob. My god outrageous. I locksmith shop and they couldn't have been more accommodating and it was $290 still a considerable amount of money for a key but way less than the 900 the dealer wanted for the same thing. read more

Florence Hardware was helpful from when I called to purchase of rechargeable batteries C cell. They also have small button batteries for calculators. read more

I brought down a damaged lock assembly from a newly purchased, electric bike, and these guys did a fabulous job! They not only managed to pick the damaged lock, they created new custom keys for me, all for a reasonable price. Skill and craftsmanship, and Service for good value are not dead! read more

What an incredibly awful business. The employees working there are completely unwilling to help you and rude about it. When we finally found an employee, we asked if he was helping anyone else, he gave us a curt yes and just stared at us for a moment then asked what we were looking for. He frequently interrupted us, recommended things that weren't even related to what we were looking for, and suggested we were stealing because we'd brought the tubing in we needed a connector for. I want nothing more than to support local businesses in Northampton but we will never go there again and we certainly won't be encouraging others to go. read more

Foster Farrar's locksmith service was excellent! I discovered a locked ~150 year old safe in the basement of my grandparent's home. It turned out to be a pretty uncommon safe but they were able to figure out how to open it with minimal damage at a reasonable cost. read more

The guys who work there are the worst, and openly sexist---they seem to think women should only want an ironing board. I like to shop local, but this was my first and last time there. read more

Foster Farrar is an old-time hardware store: they have a substantial inventory, and, best of all, they have some very knowledgable staff who are ready to help with any and all questions and problems. Atruly fine store! read more

Wonderful place - if they don't have it you probably don't need it. Patient staff who actually know the stock! Definitely is our new household maintenance go-to place. read more

The only true hardware store in the area. Not only are the workers knowledgable, but they have stock that the others do not. I recently got a 13w fixture bulb there that two other stores did not carry. (Those were a few miles closer to me.) They also support the local art and charity scene. By the way, I've noticed that even name brand goods at Walmart don't seem to hold up well. Is it because they squeeze their suppliers (as well as their employees) too hard? read more

Forget the big box stores, I will go here every single time. These folks care about what they do and most importantly their customers. No matter how I often I walk in like a deer in headlights they smile and assist....and are always right. Thank you. read more

I've bought just about everything here, from drill bits to flypaper to keys to chain by the foot. And there's always someone available to help out. (I often know what I need to do, but not exactly what I need to do it with.) I don't get talked down to, as I have in many other hardware stores. (Maybe it's just the Northampton location; they know better!) Their prices are reasonable: not as cheap as Wal-Mart, but not high. (And for my cheap keys at Wal-Mart late one night, I waited half an hour for someone to get to the counter to make them!) It's worth the little extra to get really good service. I like supporting local businesses when I can. It keeps the money local too! read more

5 stars for consistently fantastic customer service and a wide selection. Also there is occasionally an adorable dog here.

A few of the staff can be surly to the point of rudeness, without any cause. Otherwise, this is a decent locally-owned hardware store.

This is a good hardware store. They have a very wide selection of hardware store items and they are always very well stocked. They also carry a broad selection of specialty hard-to-find items that you wouldn't normally expect to find in a hardware store and you may not even find at a place like Home Depot. e.g. stainless steel hex head self-tapping sheet metal screws. They also have a first-class key shop/locksmith in the store. Their prices are about what I would expect to pay at a local hardware store but I wouldn't call them inexpensive. I just wish that some of their employees were more interested in helping customers instead of stocking the shelves. read more

They carry some things i can't get other places but the staff is rude. I want to support local businesses but its hard when i get an snippy remark when i haven't even finished my sentence. read more

I was hoping to either find a skeleton key or get more information on installing a deadbolt for a door in the old house I live in. I wasn't really sure where to start so I showed the man at the store a photo of my door and asked for some assistance. He was super helpful and told me how much it would cost to install a deadbolt and broke down the costs for me. read more

Foster Farrar is a great local hardware store. I have been able to find almost everything I have needed for DIY projects over the last 45 years. Their prices are good, and the employees are helpful, but they will leave you alone if you are browsing - I like to look and compare. I never noticed if they repair storm windows, so I gave them a call - no problem, got it done in about 20 minutes. read more

This place has everything, I rarely leave without finding what looking for. The staff is helpful and there is plenty of parking. Easy in easy out. If you need something head here, they'll have it. read more

Good selection but grumpy staff makes it difficult to find what you need. Most staff don't seem to know much about what matters to customers. read more

Wonderful neighborhood hardware store - has at least one kind of anything you might be looking for, and the people there can help you find it. You might be able to find it a bit cheaper elsewhere, but not as conveniently! Why not save on the gas and support local businesses instead of wandering the aisles of some superstore? Plus they have key-cutting and locksmith service! read more