Grumpy Joe’s

I have an SUV with big wheels and needed special chains. There was a big storm heading in Sunday morning and I went to about 7 places Saturday night that were all sold out. Someone recommended Grumpy Joe’s and even though they had already closed Joe came into the store to help my wife and I out. We were in a tough spot and really appreciated the hospitality.
Usually in a situation like that I would expect to be gouged with prices but Grumpy Joe’s was by far the least expensive place of all the ones I checked. I even offered Joe a tip for his time which he refused! What a great guy.
Thanks Joe!

Best experience! Joe is so friendly, and the prices cannot be beat! I was in town for the weekend and barely made it up the mountain w/​out chains, so I decided to get some before I headed back down. I found Grumpy Joe’s on Unilocal.I knew better than to go to any of the chain auto parts locations because for sure they will overcharge, taking advantage of out-​of-​town visitors who don’t know any better. While the website says they’re only open Tues-​Sat, I called on a Monday morning and he was open — always is when there’s snow, no matter what. He had exactly what I needed, and his prices are less than anyone else. I paid under $ 100 for my SUV. He explained how to use put them on and everything. On top of that, Joe is a really cool guy. He has no interest in overcharging people, and he thinks it’s a racket for those other locations to do so. He even gave us legit advice on which routes are best to get in/​out of Big Bear depending on weather, etc. He also has a whole bunch of other tools and auto parts. It’s a really neat little shop. Don’t get chains anywhere else!

GRUMPY JOE… Not so grumpy. JOE was a nice guy. I was visiting from LA and a surprise snow storm hit and I was looking for a place for snow chains on a Sunday. Normally closed on Sundays JOE answered and opened next day for dumb ppl driving in snow without snow chains: Me. He also gave us info highway hotline to call for up to date chain requirements. Super helpful and affordable!

Joe is Great! My family and I were visiting Big Bear, my son who lives in Burbank did not know he needed tire chains if going into the mountains. Well it snowed and we needed to get back to Burbank. I found Grumpy’s Joes searching tire chains and I was glad I did. Joe was great, knew exactly what we needed, showed us how to install the tire chain and made sure we had done it correctly. We had not so Joe took the time to reinstall so we were safe. Great service, good conversation, and we learned something new from a merchant who cares!

I was up fixing the family cabin and needed tools I forgot at home. Joes was a life saver. Selection of tools to repair anything. Joe and his wife are very friendly.

Came in to buy some chains for our truck and received great service. The prices were lower than the other places we checked out. And Joe was definitely not Grumpy.

My husband had to buy tire chains because ours snapped a few weeks ago and Joe was helpful and friendly… definitely NOT grumpy :). Excellent service and because we’re locals and my hubby is a contractor… this is his new place to go!

Fantastic service. Needed to get chains on ¹²⁄₃₀ the day the snow was starting. Came in and they had the size I needed for my vehicle and the price was great. Owner was very friendly and gave me tips on how to install… even had a QR code on the box with an installation video. I will definitely stop by anytime I need something in Big Bear.

Our family got caught up in the excitement of seeing, feeling & playing with snow for the first time and got off to a late start down the mountain during the snowfall on 12÷30÷14. We stopped at Grumpy Joe’s as the snowfall got heavier to purchase snow cables. Flo was very friendly, she double checked the size of cables needed for our rental car and gave us great instructions on how to install cables for the very first time. As well as the tip to have the car in 2^nd gear while using the cables to reduce the chance of breaking the cables. The cables were under $ 40. The only odd thing was that they do not accept credit card for the purchase of chains/​cables — debit card or cash only.
6 hours later as we were almost at the bottom of the mountain after passing many vehicles that didn’t have snow tires/​cables and were «stuck» on the road side we spotted a Grumpy Joe’s truck and a man getting out of the truck walking towards one of these vehicles in distress with snow chains in hand.
This reminded us of how thankful we were for stopping at Grumpy Joe’s at the top of the mountain which enabled us to complete the trek down the 38. We would highly recommend Grumpy Joe’s to anyone needing snow chains/​cables for larger tire sizes at Big Bear Lake. Thank you Flo for running a genuinely friendly and honest business — you took the time needed to explain how to install the cables which were very reasonably priced !!

They are so incredibly friendly and helpful. We stopped by for snow chains, and Joe walked us through what we wanted, and how to install. I typically like to support locally owned stores, and this is one I highly recommend. Their prices are really good, and they are able to get whatever you need. They do not try to upsell you. And they are genuinely nice people… why wouldn’t you shop here?

Very friendly staff, I felt like I knew them for years!
I stopped by to purchase some snow-​chains and to my surprise their prices were very affordable. About 30% lower than what I was able to find on amazon.
PS: They have snow chains/​cables for big tire sizes! (295÷40÷21)
Thanks for the help guys

As producer of a student film up here in big bear we stopped at Grumpy Joe’s for some last minute items. The couple running the store was super friendly and helped us out. Come support the local business.

My first place to go when I need something. Need tire chains? Need hobby supplies? Want to see 2 friendly Bassett Hounds? I purchased a wax carving kit for my children, went to Dollar Tree for cheap candles and bars of soap and the activity kept them very busy! Dremel like tool and bits available. Loaded with cool stuff, very affordable. Joe confided in me that he’s not really grumpy, I’ll reserve my determination for a few more years.

Big Bear local, Go to Grumpy Joe’s first before you shop the other place’s if he ain’t got it he’ll get it

What a place! Awesome people make an awesome buying experience and I would never hesitate to go back whenever I’m in town, even if it’s just to say hi.
Love this place.