I have always found hardware stores fascinating. Perhaps because you can walk into them and ask for…read moresomething completely obscure wearing a smug grin, certain that they won't have it. Then, Dave the owner (these guys are always called Dave. Even the Polish guy in my local tool shop is called Dave) will go directly to a shelf, as if he possesses some kind of DIY satellite navigation system and produce what you are looking for. This is just so alien in a world where customer service is almost non-existent and most other shop assistants do not even attempt to apologise when the object of your desire is sold out and you won't even be able to get it online. "You can always try Ebay though." Frustrating!! Homecrafts is not just any run of the mill hardware store though. Yes it has the obligatory nails and paintbrushes, chisels and hammers,( and the bloke who works there may even be called Dave) but what I want to draw my Yelpers attention to is the excellent framing service that it operates. Recently I had a professional photo-shoot of the little ones and the picture that I had enlarged was an enormous and irregular size. I looked long and hard for a suitable frame but I had to admit defeat and commence my quest for a bespoke framing service. These are few and far between in Manchester so I checked out the net and they were perfect but expensive. A chance encounter when I needed some picture hooks led me into Homecrafts of Davyhulme and I was astonished to see that it sold a range of frames that can be custom made for you. There was a good choice of frames and mounts and my frame was ready and waiting for me to collect within 5 days. The best part was the price; the total cost was £55 and the only other quote which had come even close to this was £135. Total bargain and quick friendly service. I wouldn't even consider going anywhere else now.

This is hte place to go to if you need advice without hte hard sell. They sell tools hardware…read moresundries, paint, offer picture framing and have a hire service. They deliver the items(I hired a huge ladder to paint the house) Very reasonalbe price. The staff are really good. They offer advice -when asked no hard sell in this shop. They are friendly but more importantly they realy know their stuff. This is not the cheapest DIY store but by no means hte most expensive either. The advice is good and freely offered by staff that really care.

Old fashioned hardware stores are a rare thing these days when you consider that between the big…read morechains like B&Q and Homebase and the more traditional builders merchants, the DIY market must be fairly well catered for. Unusual then that Sale has two of them! Situated (rather inconveniently for anyone other than those visiting on foot!) right on the main road through Sale, this store occupies a space that is crammed with as wide a variety of stock as you could imagine, from lightbulbs to timber, step ladders to hammers. I only called in there for an energy saving lightbulb, but even then was greeted with a dazzling array of items that fell into this category... rather surprisingly they also seemed to still have a few 100 watt lightbulbs and as such had fashioned for themselves a bit of a black market for the things! Anyway, I digress. The staff were friendly, the range of stock was impressive and the prices pretty reasonable. The location is a bit of a negative since for anything requiring a car to pick it up (which I don't think is that unusual for DIY items), you have to negotiate a tortuous one way system to be able to park outside it, and then you have to 'Pay and Display' which is an un-necessary expense. Still, you can easily walk there from Sale town centre so I don't suppose it is a disaster. 3 stars, due to its location.

Brilliant little shop, if it hasn't got it , it's not worth having! Very helpful lady who owns the…read moreshop, if you need anything diy then this is the place

Really cute little ramshackle shop on Bury New Road. Prestwich Hardware is so helpful for DIY…read moreprojects, odd jobs around the house and bits and bobs that might be so tiny and inexpensive but make the difference between harmonious home and falling apart. The service from the chap (definitely the right word) is so helpful especially if you do the whole damsel in distress thing - its NOT an act I really do have no clue. But I'm an independent woman and at the moment its just me and my mum in our house. No men to do all these kind of jobs. So we have our own little tool box now - yes some of them have flowers on and were a present. But still. They can help you with the parts themselves, tools, how to do it, common pitfalls, what to do afterwards. Lifesavers but they don't have the range that say BnQ have as its a pretty small shop.

Nice chappie behind the counter, didn't make me feel silly being in a hardware shop as most men…read moreusually give me that look 'not on a Thursday' that old mag advert look that women and DIY do not mix, but no he was most helpful, polite and friendly. Very nicely priced items and very good too! We will be back for sure!

Forget B&Q, Ali's DIY shop is amazing and should be your first point of call for getting nails,…read morelightbulbs, a hammer, or whatever random piece of DIY equipment that you actually need. This place is packed to rafters with stock, and it's all reasonably priced. The customer service is great. I'm not sure if the guy serving was actually the famous Ali, but I hope he was because he was mega friendly, smiley and chatty. I love a good bot of pleasant customer service for a change. Keep things local. Next time you think about driving to B&Q, just go to Ali's instead. He'll sort you out and he'll do it with a smile on his face too.

Ali's Diy is your one stop shop for everything to do with diy, before you go to BnQ I recommend you…read morego here, the rates are very reasonable and he is very friendly. Trust me when I say I think that this shop was the reason they created the phrase 'don't judge a book by it's cover'. It is packed with everything you could ever want.

This shop is certainly no shrinking violet. It spans what looks like an acre of land on Chester…read moreRoad in Stretford and it has one of those 20ft high inflatable, wobbly men which distracts drivers but entertains children. Just in case you miss this gargantuan appendage, Gleave has thoughtfully erected a 30ft high unit which tells us the time and the temperature so when your irritating colleague or smug other half appears to have an unnaturally in-depth knowledge of how many degrees celsius it is on a Monday morning, you know where they get it from. Joseph Gleave is a supplier of specialist equipment selling tools, safety products and site equipment. From welding to security, sealants to abrasives, this store is a major player in providing products for the entire industrial sector. What this company provide that others do not is a reliable technical support division which advises business owners on the correct products they require, and provides health and safety product information. Is is not just about making sales with Gleave, it is about integrity in business. It is nice to know that behind Mr Inflatable is Mr Responsible. Oh heck, now I sound like I am creating new characters for the Mr Man books, and this was supposed to be a serious corporate review!