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'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.

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).

A no-nonsense hardware store. It's a small store but it should cater for most of your small scale…read morehardware needs. Rat poison, screws, key cutting, shelf brackets. You name it they have it amidst their stacked shelves. I have had keys cut here before that haven't worked, however they persistently re-cut them until they did and were very apologetic for their old and sometimes imprecise methods. They have all sorts, you won't be disappointed if you've come to stock up your tool kit with nails and wd-40, or to replace the worn out washer on the tap. Being a local, independent store it retains the character that large places lose. I like browsing in small hardware stores with fellow appreciators of the do-it-yourself philosophy and thinking 'what could be?' with some creativity and aforethought. This is certainly a hardware store worthy of browsing in.

I'm a fan of this little place. Admittedly, not being too hot on the D.I.Y front, I don't tend to…read morehang out in hardware stores all that often but this I know: they're very friendly. The guy who is usually in there has always passed the time of day with me, asks how I've been and what have you. They're all really keen on being super-helpful as well, which is nice - and tend to be extremely apologetic if they've inconvenienced you in any way by not having something in stock that you need - which isn't that often. I don't think I've ever walked away from there empty-handed, as their few shelves are stacked to the rafters with all manner of D.I.Y paraphernalia. I like a locally-owned independent store cum Aladdin's Cave and this is no exception - full of character, full of mysterious objects and lovely staff.

Down on the Stoney Lane lies my local Plumbing Merchant, so when the flush broke on the toilet,…read morethat's where I set off to to replace a little component I dug out of the back of the cistern. What the name of this particular part of the flush mechanism was I didn't know, but I imagined a plumber would recognise it instantly and save me the trouble of calling someone out to have a look at what might be a simple bit of DIY. Inside the store was a flurry of activity with a team of staff running rapid relays into the back of the shop to fetch materials and leaning over the counter with calculators, totalling up prices. Shelves of materials at the rear and tools and miscellaneous items on the customers side of the counter, there was plenty of things to marvel at whilst waiting to catch the eye of a member of staff. Thankfully communication was very simple as this particular chap was fluent in plumbing and recognised instantly what it was I was holding in my hand. A replacement part came in a few pence and I was out the shop with a spring in my step.

Recommended to me by a person who works at Screwfix, White's is THE place to go for all those…read morethings you cannot readily find or get in your 'usual' DIY outlets. Based in the Gun Quarter, a ten minute walk from the City Centre, White's have a fantastic reputation for all the bits and bobs you need! In my case, I was replacing a few screws on the stand to my electric drumkit. I only needed a few items but getting them individually were proving tough. That's until this place came under my radar! Also, you simply have to go to this store to experience walking into yesteryear. This store is old school, like stepping back into a bygone era. Of course, as this place demonstrates, Birmingham is alive and happening! This can rightly be considered a microcosm of Birmingham's great industrial legacy and it's great to see this store doing so well.

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.

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