Renfrow's was recommended to me by the folks down the street at the Matthews Heritage Museum. It did not disappoint. The store is deceptively big. The front door is narrow and old. But walk through that door and its like the Tardis from Dr. Who. The store really opens up into multiple rooms each with their own treasures to be found. Then out back there is a garde. And green house. They have chili pepper plants the likes of which I don't think I will ever see again! I swear the jalapeno plant was nearly as tall as me. And that is not an exaggeration. It was massive. Like a spicy tree. It was seriously impressive. Anyhow, there was also a "volunteer" plant just outside the back door that had tiny red peppers on it. Nobody seemed to know the variety but said they were too too hot. Maybe Tobasco peppers they thought. I started talking to them about my own home garden and how I struggle with tomato and pepper blossoms not sticking around long enough to produce fruit. They told me about something called "Blossom Set." I would have bought some there but it was greater than 3 ounces and I had to fly home. What I did buy was a bottle of scuppernong juice. Funny name for a native grape with a delicious flavor. A little more tart than standard grapes. I had been wanting to try scuppernongs and that did the trick. My only regret here is that I don't live anywhere near Renfrow's and could not biy as much I really wanted to. If I was a local, this would likely me a regular stop on my weekend errands. read more

The best of the best when it comes to a local and old school hardware store. They know what they are talking about when it comes to all things plants, hardware, etc. only complaint is their hours- no Saturday hours, but other than that- recommended read more

A quaint shop that takes you back in time. Great service, seem to have a lot of items. Probably more pricey on some items. The garden soil is very good quality read more

Great local hardware store! If you hate big box stores and cheaply made goods then this is a place you will love. If you are just looking for cheap stuffs made in China, this is probably not a store for you. I love supporting locally owned businesses and there are many reasons to love this store. The honey is from their bee hives right down the street and the jars are labeled by season. It took me almost 2 years but I finally was able to eliminate my dependency on Claritin-D from using their honey in my coffee every day. I recently brought all of my shears to be sharpened here. Great service! Saturday is a great day to pop into the store and visit the farmers market next door. I loved the flower seeds harvested from their garden and the lady bugs to release in my garden this Spring. Definitely a great place to catch up with neighbors Saturday morning. read more

It's a land mark to be experience. The service was personalized and the remember my name after hello.

I love nostalgia and Renfrow's has it in spades. Places like this are dying all around the country never to return so get your fill of this classic hardware store while you can. I like to stop in and grab a soda out of their cooler because for some reason, everything tastes better from a real glass bottle from an old cooler. They also have baby chicks...my son digs the baby chicks. They have more than chicks and soda and in fact, they have a surprising amount of stuff and a friendly knowledgeable staff to back it up. read more

Renfrow's Hardware & General Merchandise - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

Renfrow's is all things wonderful and needed in our society. Kindness, local products, helpful information, kind people, beautiful plants and vegetables, things you can't find other places, etc. Go there and spend your money, it's worth more than the products you're purchasing. read more

Renfrow's Hardware & General Merchandise - I grew these beauties from some seeds suggested by Renfrow's when I had an open spot in my garden this past August. Yum! - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

I've never bought anything here... simply because I would hate to alter this place in any way. I believe Renfrow's would appreciate this but also try to convince me that my hesitancy is just plain selfish. Okay, okay, I'll buy one of those gourd keychains next time. A timeless country store, that is not friends with Cracker Barrel, with local products like honey, bbq sauce, and cornmeal. Out back they have Better Boy, the rooster, his harem, and chicks in the Spring. You can also get a wide variety of tomato, pepper, herb, flower, and other veggie starters from their greenhouse. Renfrow's makes it easy to feel like the down-to-earth, trendy kid on the block. read more

Renfrow's Hardware & General Merchandise - Seedlings in the Greenhouse - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

A few weeks ago, I had an emergency stop there because the apron under my car had come loose, and it was dragging on the street as I was driving. An employee named Mark greeted me and proceeded help me find something to keep it from dragging on the pavement until I could get it fixed. Not only did he solve it, he pretty much laid down right on the street and got under my car and zip tied it for me and acted happy to do it. I will say Renfro Hardware has a lot of things you need you don't know about and has an employee named Mark that can solve a problem. I was so appreciative that he took the time to help me in a time of need. So thankful for him. read more

I like to go in Renfrow's and check out the baby chicks. They have a cage full of baby chickens and other birds that are useful to have around your garden...even your urban garden. I am always sorely tempted to buy a couple of babies for myself, although I know my pit bull would ravage them. (Sigh.) They've got most anything you could need for home-improvement projects, and like Patrick M. said, it's nice to see one surviving with the Home Depot and Lowes revolution in hardware stores. They've got good prices, and you get that good feeling of having helped out the little guy. Renfrow kind of has its own culture, with people congregating around the cash register and talking. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and their greenhouse is top-knotch. I like to step in there on the weekends after visiting the Matthews farmers' market in the mornings. It feels so organic and small-town-y to put those activities together...it's kind of good for the soul. read more

Renfrow's Hardware & General Merchandise - From the Renfrow website - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

What do you need? Local honey, elderberry syrup, honest gardening advice based on Charlotte climate/soil knowledge, yard art, hardware, drying racks, , a chicken? Whatever you need, stop by Refrow's Hardware, like the locals have been doing for over 100 years. It's the real deal in a strip mall city! read more

Best hardware store in the world! (Or so I imagine.) The owners are extremely friendly and cheerful and are very knowledgeable about gardening questions. They have the largest selection of heirloom seeds I have seen in the Charlotte region, and during the spring and summer seasons their greenhouse is full of great plants. The chickens behind the store are also fun to watch. Compared with other hardware stores, this place is geared more towards gardening and offers less in the way of tools and machines, which suits me just fine. It does have most of the typical hardware knickknack sections and quite a bit of canning equipment. Not too much going on here in the way of flowers - it's mostly fruit and veggie plants that you can buy here. Their website is also worth checking out, as it has a lot of information sheets that help with planning a garden and taking care of certain plants. read more

Extensive seed collection and beautiful starter plants. This place is a gardeners dream! read more

Renfrow's Hardware & General Merchandise - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

Great neighborhood store with supplies for your home! Renfrow has enough variety to help home owners find cleaning and hardware and garden supplies. The staff are friendly and helpful. The parking is limited so go early or walk down the street. I like the farmers' market nearby and the bustling growing section of restaurant near the library within walking distance. read more

I know 4 stars? You're probably thinking I'm crazy for going away from the pack of the 5 star yelpers. This is a wonderful old school hardware store and a local business in Matthews. If you're looking to walk around downtown Matthews on a Saturday this is a great spot to just walk in and check out. Love the hardwood floors! The reason for the 4 stars is because my husband and I went to purchase a spray bottle and it was behind the counter the person who was running the register rang it up and it was $13! To me that's way over priced for a spray bottle. So my advice is if you are looking to purchase from a family run business and are ok with shelling out some cash go for it! This place is a real gem of Matthews! read more

Great local hardware and gardening shop but is much more than that. They grow seasonal vegetables, flowers and offer their local honey. We actually used their local honey as our wedding favors. They offer a farm stand where they sell vegetables and flowers they grow on their farm. They also have a greenhouse where you can purchase all of your vegetables for your own garden. They do a great job making keys as well. The staff are all very friendly and knowledgeable. read more

A throwback to the old hardware stores that were part of every small town. It is nice to see one that is able to hold its own against the Home Depots and Lowes that have sprung up on all sides of it. While everything around the store has changed the store itself appears to be almost exactly the way it was when it originally opened. Wood burning stove, peanuts and fasteners in bins. There is always a conversation going on. read more

If Renfrow's fails, so shall Matthews and everything good, right, and just in Southeast Mecklenburg County. Go there to get right and human again after suffering through a week in Charlotte . . . Buy a tomato plant or two or just coke and pack of nabs. Cage your gyro and then head back home to Charlotte to plant something good in your city garden and then spread your calm and renewed faith in your fellow humans with your fellow Charlotteans. read more

To be sure, this is not the cheapest place to get what you need for your home/garden. But if you're going for cost, you're missing the point. Renfrow's offers a different alternative. Not only is it amazingly helpful, friendly service (after all you can get that at Blackhawk which is way more convenient to most Charlotteans), but you're getting a different variety of goods and garden stuff. The main reason I go is to hit their seed section which is the whole front corner of the store. People may wonder why I would drive 35 minutes for seed when Lowe's is 5 minutes away - the seed that Renfrows offers is 10x as good as Burpee traditional seed and Renfrow has a wide variety of heirloom and organic seeds. Their outdoor garden section also has seedlings from squash to tomatoes to tons of different varieties of peppers! Plus you get to see the cute chickens on your way to the seedlings! :) In addition, they have great soil and compost as well as all the typical hardware stuff you might imagine. As the others mentioned, they also offer lots of nostalgic stuff you find in general stores, etc. Tip- go early on Saturday mornings and hit the farmers' market next door too! read more

Not your typical hardware store! Wow what a treasure we have in Matthews! Organic non GMO seeds and plants, raw honey... I never knew! Thank you Renfrow's! I'll be back! read more

Helpful and sweet country men with tasty old fashioned coke bottles.. and cute chickens!

Not to repeat anything that's been said in another review- this is by far the best place I've found to have keys copied! Not one glitch. Excellent service. Good place to go even if it's just for nostalgia. read more

These fellows can make it fly, float, flush,and fry again ...they stock all the parts and have the knowledge and experience to get you and your project working, growing, shining, shifting, baking, broiling,swinging, closing, mooing and quacking...and a lot, lot more ! Get a coffee and browse and buy ...you'll go back for more because you now know where to find it ! read more

This is an awesome place with the perfect combination of essential tools and supplies you need but also adding the vintage flair with older tools or handmade products, small town manufacturers and such. I love it read more

This is the Charlotte Metro areas most amazing vintage hardware store. Renfrows carries many hard to find items, has 1st class service and is a must visit place to add to your bucket list. I go here to get plants for my vegetable garden, advice on how to fix or grow things and always enjoy the fun of looking around this cool store. Don't miss the baby chicks around Easter! read more

This hardware store is everything the reviews say that it is! I moved here from Pennsylvania in 1985. My in-laws lived close to Renfrow's and we stayed with them for a few weeks until we closed on our house. I used to walk to Renfrows and wander around looking at all the "neat" stuff! Even in the 80s Charlotte was a "big city" to me, because I came from a small town. Renfrew's gives me that nostalgic, small town feeling, and in those days it was a great comfort to me! The clerks are always very nice. They know their products and they seem to truly enjoy their job. As mentioned by other posters, their gardening section alone is worth making a trip to Renfrow's even if you live way across town. And who knows? While you are there you just might find that "widget" or "gizmo" you need that no other hardware store has! In these times when the entire world seems to be dominated by big box chain stores, it's nice to know that a business like Renfrow's still exists! read more

Love this place. They have a little bit of everything. If you need one nail, you can buy just one nail. The staff is extremely helpful. They know about plants, seeds and hardware. Describe your home repair project, and they will tell you what you need to do the job. They have some items that have been discontinued and can't be found anywhere else. read more

As down home Americana as you could find and well-stocked for your hardware needs

Extremely helpful. They literally have EVERYTHING and will order any parts if necessary.

Renfrow's is an institution in Matthews, NC. It's been there forever and has everything you could need from a hardware store. We've gone there to have screens repaired, which they've done quickly and inexpensively. It feels like going to an old fashioned general store. Weathered, wood floors. Candy for the kids. Out back they have plants and chickens. It's almost worth going to be a tourist alone. But they do have a big stock of items as well and I love giving business to a local family run store over a huge chain any day of the week. Unlike big chains, they can actually help you out with advice with most questions you would have. read more

Renfrow's seems like it has everything you could possibly need for around the house. And a visit to see the chickens, crickets, and baby chicks (in the spring) is a great activity for small kids. Definitely the place to go for whatever you need. read more

as a kid in the early 50's i, and my friends, would creep into renfrow's warehouse area that housed hay, bagged feed, fertilizer, etc. and have a grand time climbing over the hay bales. they apparently didn't mind, as they never yelled at us. after play we would go into the main store and usually buy one of their huge cookies. they always put that one cookie in a paper bag. we then got a cold drink (orange or grape soda from the ice water cooler. would then wander back in the store to examine work shoes and huge slabs of salted pork fat. the old floor always creeked with every step. and there was a picture of mr. dal renfrow on the wall showing off the full trainload of milled grain goods that he had sold. time flies but the memories still remain. good times from childhood. have moved from matthews quite a few years but still remember the times and as often as i can return to the store...........still run by good folks.............larry baucom read more