A hardware store to satisfy any cook or handyman…read more This place seems to have just about everything you can think of, in fact, I can't think of anything else it could have. Even that slightly sawdust scent that goes with hardware stores. Now, this store does not carry the reputation of two that I have reviewed before. But if I lived in Wimborne, I'd be a happy camper. Collandars, graters, knives, tupperware, caddies, drainers, cookwareand then hammers, nails, screws, and thingummies. They also do garden furniture, indeed, there was a very rustic looking one on display outside. I really could have spent ages snooping around, but hey ho, time is the master of our lives. No fifth star because there seems nowher to park, so how are you going to lug your goods to the car?

This shop is absolutely amazing! A proper old-fashioned hardware / ironmongers shop that sells…read moreeverything, or pretty close to it - every square inch of space is put to use. I have popped in many times on the off chance that they've got a right handed thingamy-jig or similar, and only once have they been unable to help me (and were seriously apologetic to boot)! This is service as it should be - the staff are friendly, knowledgeable and polite. The prices are sensible - only marginally more expensive than B&Q in most cases (and much cheaper overall when you consider that you don't have to drive that far). Absolutely fantastic I can't believe this type of shop still exists, but I'm very glad it does.

What an amazing shop, for hardware, camping requirements and more tools then…read moreyou could shake a stick at, if you can't find it here it ain't available.

"An Aladdin's cave" wrote a previous reviewer, and very true…read more However customer service can be patchy. As a regular and usually satisfied customer my experience 15 Sep 2011 was distasteful. I purchased some miniature retaining chain of the sort used for key-rings or bathplugs, and sold by the metre. The till operator packed my other purchases in their supplied bag. I then placed their bag in my cycle bag for extra security. Item wasn't found when I opened the bags on returning home. The inescapable conclusion is that the missing item was never packed. A phone call elicited a response that can only be described as unhelpful. They claimed that the item was packed. I don't believe that. Had they taken some time to search the till area I'd be more inclined to believe them. However, their default position appears to be that it wasn't their error, but the customer's, even though they packed the bag. Which BTW was inspected for holes and found to be hole-free. That's a bad news day for customer satisfaction, and means in practice that they have lost a regular customer, who will shop elsewhere now. An Aladdin's cave it may be, but there are other Aladdin's Caves in the locality. That's the very nature of a free market. We hear a great deal about how difficult it is for small high street retailers to compete against the large DIY chain stores, and to some extent that explains the "Aladdin's Cave" comment. For the wide range of choices offered gives the smaller owner-operated stores a competitive advantage, and this customer welcomes that, and usually discriminates in their favour, choosing to take their custom there, rather than to the DIY chain. For the same reason I shop in the market at Salisbury, where I can find several good butchers, farmers selling direct to their market, a fishmonger, fruit & vegetables, poultry, and cheaper than supermarkets and better quality. And I have the satisfaction gained from my desire to support smaller businesses competing against supermarkets when the playing field is not a level one. Portswood Hardware has let the side down. A simple error was made, and could have been easily corrected. Instead they chose to be intransigent and unhelpful. The key word here is "chose". In choosing to be unhelpful they lost a regular customer. They might also reflect upon their need to improve their customer face-to-face communication skills. One of the key areas where they can have a competitive edge on the DIY chains. An update. After the fruitless phone conversation yesterday, I went to visit them for a face-to-face discussion. It saddens me to say that the response was to obdurately deny any error might have occurred during packing. The fact remains that they packed the bag. One item was missing on unpacking. A simple error easily made. Who of us can honestly say that we have never done something similar? Portswood Hardware can, and do! The missing property is mine. I paid for it and have the till receipt. Undoubtably, the missing item is still somewhere on the premises at Portswood Hardware. The value may only be £3.99, but the inconvenience to me has been considerable, and compounded by Portswood Hardware's bloody-minded intransigence. I want my property; the property I paid for. My next step may be to report the item missing; stolen possibly; and ask Portswood Police to inquire, and make arrests, and charge the individuals involved because there is IMO a reasonable suspicion of theft, enough to trigger arrests. All for an item worth £3.99. All for want of an admission of error, this trader's reputation is lost in seconds.

An Aladdin's cave. Whatever it is you need, they have it lurking in here somewhere. No, really -…read moreone bolt for that flatpack from IKEA? Yes. Humane mouse-trap? Yes. Straw for the guinea pig? Yup. You name it, ask the people at the till and they'll find it. Never disappointed in decades, we still think this place is awesome.

Such a small shop front but when you walk in its like tardis! It sells all those strange things you…read morecant get anywhere else such as a fruit de-seeder & also useful things like a ball of string. there is cooking equipment and tomato plants, candles etc. even a pet department-worth a visit just to look and wonder if nothing else!

For a smaller in-town store this compares well with the out of town DIY centres. Good level of…read morestock, and advice is given freely

By far the best hardware store in the area. Puts all the chain stores like Homebase and B&Q to…read moreshame with their amazing standard of service. It doesn't matter what sort of DIY your trying to do there is always someone there who has the necessary knowledge to help you. It's only a small store but they make the most of the space and it's packed full of stuff, which although not as cheap as the superstores is worth it for the back up you get. The most handy thing they have is off to the side of the store. If you want wood cut to size they have a wall mounted cutter and will happily cut boards and planks to your exact requirements. I've not been here in some time but they certainly know their stuff and it's worth using them over anyone else in the area.

They have everything you could need for DIY and they also have another shop in Wickham which cells…read morethings like fence posts and other stuff for farms. The main shop sells hardware tools, gardening tools, pet food, seeds and loads of other handy things as well

This is a hardware store which has been family run for several genrations (indeed I used to live…read morenext door to 'Old Pondey' as he was known. People come from all around to buy dog food, speciality nails, hooks, brackets, bait, brooms, garden gear, nets of all types, you name it, they've got it, and stuff you can't name too. In Wareham, a small market town, 9 miles from Poole towards Corfe Castle.

Very old fashioned, very traditional. I tried to get a screw from screwfix - they did not have one…read morewith the right thread so I got it from Pond's instead