I have been here twice and it's a fine store with a friendly staff. What really set them apart from other stores in the area recently was their unusually complete selection of lamp sockets, so I thought I would mention that in a review in case it helps others who are looking for similar parts. I was in need of a special kind of lamp socket which supports two circuits but which is not intended to be used with a 3-way type bulb. I was rewiring a vintage kids' lamp that has a normal light bulb fixture at the socket, as well as a smaller "night light" lamp wired into the base of the lamp. I had done the research online to know more or less what I was looking for, but started striking out in the local stores. I tried TAGS in Davis Square first, because I was over there. They had a terrible selection of only 2 or 3 types of sockets. Then I tried RW Shattuck in Arlington Center, which had many more types but still didn't have what I was looking for and furthermore seemed unaware of the possibility that such a product exists. I was about to give up hope when I stopped in to Wanamaker's. To be honest I don't think they understood the product any more than Shattuck, so it was good that I came in to the store because I wouldn't have gotten confirmation about what I was looking for without browsing. So what set Wanamaker's apart from the other stores is they feature this large case of sockets and it seems to be stocked by default with a huge variety of sockets and related parts. They even had some "interior" parts for some socket types, in case you wanted to just replace the inside without the socket shell. I was very happy to find the part, and a replacement power wire, so I could get to the task of rewiring my son's lamp before bedtime that night. read more

I'm a woman and I love doing small repairs and maintenance around our home. I always ask lots of questions and get good advice from the Wanamaker/True Value staff. Been shopping here since we purchased our home over 50 years ago! I have one little gripe, I'm an early riser and ready to start my projects at 6:30am, I do need a few things this morning! Lol!!! read more

I've been going to the hardware store all my life and I can't say anything bad about them. Sure there are bigger hardware stores but I always feel like I'm cheating on Wanamaker Sid I go there. If you want knowledge and a quick in and out of the store experience this is the place to go read more

Second time I've been in and one of your younger employees does not cover his nose with his mask. A mask does not work if your nose is not covered. You have many elderly people shopping in your store. Please have this employee wear proper face covering. read more

I walked in the hardware store around 2:40 on a nice Saturday afternoon looking to purchase a grill. The employee I engaged with was friendly enough and informed where the grills were located. After checking out the grills I made my way to the cashier and informed them that I wanted to purchase one and that I noticed a sign stating that the grills came pre-assembled and that they could deliver within 2 miles. The cashier seemed unsure of this which is fine and checked with another colleague. He confirmed but stated they couldn't deliver "today" and that I would need to come back. Totally understand that they were near closing time but if I'm about to drop $400 on a grill was hoping for them to be a bit more accommodating. Needless to say I'll be giving Home Depot a shot to provide a better experience and won't be purchasing my grill with them. read more

My favorite hardware store for decades. I hadn't gone in a long while, after my work and commuting paths changes, but went on 11/8/22 to get windshield wiper blades. Wanamaker always had a variety of lengths, cheaper than anywhere else. The beautiful store I had known, with its incredibly dense stock of everything imaginable, looked like it had been gutted. Instead of banks of perfectly arranged stock in smaller aisles on either side of a center aisle (1st floor), were wide front-to-back aisles with apparently a fraction of the Wanamaker store's stock. Just ugly and disheartening, like a Christmas village and toystore for DIY adults to browse in had been converted to a low grade HD. My last visit, ever. read more

for a small hardware store this place is great! They are pretty friendly, have most everything you need for your weekend projects. I really like the staff here too. There are a bunch of high school boys who don't know much, so just ask the other "grown-ups" and they know everything! They are also pretty cheap for what they sell! Of course Home Depot and Loews will always get a bunch of my business unwillingly, but they have everything you need under, on and including the kitchen sink. (sorry bad pun, but had to use it. I am delirious from inhaling paint fumes for 2 days strait.) I like supporting the smaller business over the large chain when I can, and these guys deserve it big time! plus this place has one of the coolest retro storefronts ever! read more

I love this hardware store! The staff are extremely friendly and helpful, and are happy to answer questions and help you out. They'll take the time to talk things through with you, help you make sure you are approaching a project in a sensible way, and never make you feel like you've asked a dumb question. read more

Great store with just about anything that you need. The staff are very friendly and always willing to help. Last week I bought a very cheap outdoor dining set (elsewhere), but when I put it together, I was missing two nuts. So I took the bolts to Wanamaker, and within 5 minutes and 90 cents later, I had the nuts and put my table together. It's very handy having a HW store locally, and I like supporting local businesses. My only gripe is that they are often closed when I want to go (they close early on Sunday and at 6 during the week). read more

I hate to diss a local business, but since going to my first hardware store when I was 4 or 5 with my Grandad, this is the lamest one I've ever been too. It's so small that there's not much of a selection. And the clerks are of little help--last time I went there, I wanted "blue ice packs" (those blue oblong things you freeze in your freezer & put into coolers). The clerk at the counter told me they were "upstairs". Not knowing where the "upstairs" was, I wandered towards the back, & went up a set of stairs. It was an office/store-room area. Came back down the stairs, went back to the clerk, who then pointed me to the stairs in the front (??). Went up there, where there's only a small selection of stuff like cleaning supplies that you could mainly get at any Walgreens. No clerk to help, & no blue ice packs. That's typical of my experiences there. I am spoiled by going to the HD in Waltham, where they have almost EVERYTHING, & when you can find a clerk, they're usually helpful. (Trekking around a HD can also turn into a cross between a scavenger hunt & The Bataan Death March, but again, they do have EVERYTHING). OTOH, If you want a good local hardware store, try the Hillside Garden & True Value in Belmont--20 times the selection of Wanamaker, & a lot more helpful. Oh yeah, the ACE hardware store in Lexington seemed good also, the times I've been there. On the plus side of this store.....if all you want are some leaf bags, or fuses, simple stuff, & you can find it w/o being sent on a wild goose chase by the clerk, this one will do. read more

Since I moved to Arlington 4 years ago I've wanted to love this place. Convenient location across from Dags, some decent stuff and friendly people. But frequently it pales in comparison for stock and helpfulness to shattucks. Then today I was buying a small item when in walks this older man with no mask, clearly a regular, just chats it up with all the employees. They laughed and joked with him as if we are not in the middle of a pandemic, with no regard for other customers (or younger employees afraid to say anything) in the store who were uncomfortable. But they were all perfectly fine with it. In retrospect I should have said something since nobody there did. I put my stuff down and went to Ace. read more

When I first went to Wanamaker's I was on a quest to find a programmable thermostat replacement for a failed one. I did not want to rewire the whole thing. This was the fifth place I looked. Mark just reached up on the wall and handed me the exact replacement I needed. Wow! They have been our first place to look after that for more than 15 years. They have never disappointed. read more

Fabulous local hardware store; great range of items, from useful household things to serious tools. Two floors. Housewares (jelly jars! curtain rods! mops! footstools!) on the second floor. Yard stuff (leaf bags! lawnmowers! birdfeeders! gardening gloves! hoes, rakes, snowshovels!) and tools on the ground floor. And a really helpful staff that would rather have a satisfied customer than a sale. Went in their with my son who wanted to buy his uncle a present -- his uncle has every tool under the son. Kindly sales clerk recommended a gift certificate, but spent a good 20 minutes going over possible options: what every uncle would love to have... Uncle ended up having what we chose already, and they took the return with no complaints. I know nothing about tools or hardware, but I've been satisfied with the price and performance of everything I've ever bought here. And EVERYONE who works here is friendly -- from the teenage part-time staff to the career-employees. It is true that they close at 2 on Sundays, and I've occasionally stood in front of the door and cursed them at 2:05, but what's wrong with a good store that's also a humane employer? Nothin'. read more

It's always nice to get old fashioned, friendly service like you get at Wanamaker. While relatively small, they seem to have almost everything that you could ever need. Great store, great service read more

it makes me sad to write this,but after 13 years in Arlington, I've come to the conclusion that this is just not a great hardware store. The people are friendly and helpful, and the location is convenient if you live in the Heights, but that's all it's got going for it. The final straw came for me today when I found an identical item across town at Shattucks for 20% less. Serves me right for not comparing prices more often, but I think this indicates that Wanamaker's assumes that their customers won't bother to check. Previously, while the staff has always been friendly and helpful, some of the products I've bought there have just been kind of crappy. In a store this small, I don't see how they have the room to stock inferior merchandise (socket wrenches that don't grip properly, extension cords that don't hold the metal tines in place, etc.). Bottom line, this won't be my "first stop" hardware store any more. read more

I love that I can walk to such a great hardware store. This is a real and proper hardware store with drill bits, paint, ant bait, furniture pads, etc, etc. They also have some great and useful home stuff on the second floor like grill stuff, shades, storage bins, and shelf liners. The staff is friendly and helpful to boot. We've been in here quite a bit lately for home improvement projects and have a really good experience every time. read more

Since we moved to the neighborhood 5 months ago, we have visited this store a dozen times for various things; tools, screws, gardening equipment, ice melting stuff... every time we found exactly what we needed. The staff is very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful, taking the time to help you found what you need (which is extremely useful for amateurs like us) and then helping you charge your car if it's heavy all of this with a smile on their faces. The selection is very good and the prices very reasonnable. We love Wanamaker, dealing with nice people, finding what we came for for a good price, all of this in 5-10 minutes! read more

Based on the customer service of their store manager, I recommend going elsewhere for your home/garden supplies. I try to support local/small business as much as possible, but unfortunately there is anything but a "customer first" mentality here. There are a few other similar stores nearby that I'd highly recommend read more

A small hardware store located on Mass Ave in Arlington Heights, this place has a little bit of everything and a friendly stuff to help search for needed items. I visited this place last weekend for a toilet ring and was surprised to find that they had all the varieties that I've read about. read more

I live in the neighborhood and have consistently good experiences with them. Fair prices, decent selection, and usually generous with advice if you can track down one of the grown-ups (though the student workers are always very cheerful). Good reputation for standing behind what they sell, too. read more

I had the best experience today. Not only did the employee come out to my car to see what bulb I needed, but he installed it for me. 5* for customer service, thank you! read more

A real asset to the neighborhood. Wanamaker was very helpful when I did renovations moving into my house in 1983. Over the years since, they continue to be there for the recurring needs and the unusual ones. Somewhere during those years I crossed a certain line, the day that I bought another pair of grass shears because I couldn't find my pair in my basement. Wanamaker's is a place that has a lot of stuff AND people whose job it is to know where it all is. Yesterday I called them to ask if they sold Irwin EX-2 screw extractors; this specialty tool is what Internet sources told me I needed to remove a bolt I had broken off in my bicycle. On the phone, Wanamaker said they had it, and when I showed up at the store, I found that not only did they have just the brand and size I wanted, but , they had several sizes, and I didn't have to buy a whole set to get just one, and pricing was reasonable. read more

really helpful staff, great stock and selection, the store is really clean, and the prices are very reasonable. not much more to say, except that i am glad i found this great go-to hardware store for all of our indoor and outdoor household needs! read more

I walked in and received immediate help from a knowledgeable source. The are kind and respectful. I love this store. No kidding. This is my new go to. read more

The place if OK for normal household hardware needs, but it's too small. Rarely has any hard-to-find stuff. As to the service, certainly better than any big-box store but a little bit of impatience if you are more ignorant of the products than they would like. read more

Updating my previous 4-star (still strong) recommendation for a great neighborhood hardware store because now the store is dog-friendly, too! read more

Convenient location in Arlington Heights. Love the people working there. Very friendly service!

Friendly, helpful staff - it's so nice to have a neighborhood hardware store. I'm always pleasantly surprised at the amount of stuff they carry for a small store! read more

Truly a great hardware store with a greater than great staff. If you need advice on ANY project or product they are the way to go. Believe it or not but sometimes their prices are better than Home Depot and it is a heck of a lot nicer experience. Shop local before we have nothing but box stores. read more

Place is a RIPOFF!!! Way overpriced hardware store and not very customer friendly. My 85 year old grandfather bought a rake that broke ten minutes after he got it home and they wouldn't give another one. I was short-changed for a $10 item that I could have bought at Home Depot for half the price. I would walk to Home Depot from Arlington before I would ever give this place my business AGAIN!!! read more

Wanamaker's is a GREAT hardware store. They are helpful and knowledgeable and carry almost everything I need for work around my home. I always go to them first. Their prices are competitive and the location is convenient allowing me to drive just a few minutes to get what I need rather than getting on the highway and driving to a big box home improvement store. And, I spend my money supporting a local business! We're lucky to have them in Arlington! read more