Frattallone’s Metro Ace Hardware

This place is the bomb! When I moved to Stevens Square they helped me pick out some awesome paint and I have been returning to them ever since. Service is something that people often overlook when they go shopping for things in their home. The Ace on Nicollet always has a ton of knowledgeable staff on hand and ready for your questions. They are also super friendly :)
Here are some specifics of how awesome these guys are. I bought an underbed storage unit from Ikea that was too long to fit under my bed. I tried to hacksaw two ends of the unit to make it shorter and as with many DIY projects, I straight up ruined it, or so I thought. One of the guys at Ace was able to use their basement workshop to shorten it properly with a table saw and on top of that he drilled some new screw holes so I could reassemble the unit. I think the total was like 3 or 4 bucks.
Another project I started today, I was making a DIY bike wall mount and they found all the perfect parts, Ian (one of the cool cats that works there) re-​threaded a bike stem, provided suggestions for all the right mounting hardware and probably some other things I forgot. They could tell that I was passionate about this project and they seemed pretty interested in it themselves. Can’t say it enough, these guys rock!

He came out once,
He came out twice,
No, I’m not a dunce,
He was just nice.
«I need windshield wipers.»
«Let me measure them for you.»
Then he inquires:
Need a replacement how-​to?
He took the old ones off,
And put the new ones on,
All without a scoff!
All without a yawn!
I’ve bought hardware stuff here
Many different times now:
The staff deserves a case of beer
For consistent customer service so freaking wow.

This Ace Hardware is a surprising gem tucked into a somewhat sketchy looking neighborhood. I live nearby and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of product and service at this Ace when I inevitably needed a quality hardware store. I don’t often tell my friends who live in Uptown or Downtown or wherever-​town to go out of their way and check out a place near Stevens Square, but I have recommended this place to a few of them with good results. Parking is kind of. eh (and the only thing holding this back from being 5 stars). but if you can park and get into the store you’ll be pleasantly surprised as well.
BONUS: they have Rug Doctors for rent. Seriously. Big bonus.

During a recent conference where I had a booth to exhibit at, I came to find that our big fancy display was a wee bit wonky (parts of it were smashed during shipping). I appraised the situation, and then I checked to see where the nearest hardware store was.
Enter Frattallone’s just a few blocks south over the I-​94.
I put on my coat, and walked in the chilled air to Frattallone’s (I keep wanting to write Fratellis from The Goonies).
This was your basic, locals hardware store. There were plenty of staff here to help out if you have any questions. I didn’t. I needed to come up with a MacGyver piece of art for my display.
A few feet of wire, duct tape, and a gum wrapper later, I was ready to check out.
And just like that my display was back in business – slicker than snot and squashed bananas.
With their supplies, and convenient location, Frattallone’s saved my day.

Frattallone’s Ace Hardware is probably my favorite store ever, which is something considering I am not a handy person and hate DIY repairs and projects. Still, the staff are quite possibly the most friendly and helpful people ever. I seriously can never get over how pleasant they are.
Here’s the thing about this store, it’s right outside of Uptown on Nicollet, and it’s not pretty. It’s neighbors a dollar store and some other tiny restaurants and shops, and there’s inevitable some guy in a really nice car staring you down in the parking lot. The staff are all bald and tattooed and pierced, but before you can even think «oh crap», they are walking down the aisles with out and offering you advice on everything. The great guys and gals at the store really know their stuff. I don’t think customer service like this exists anymore!
They also have a good selection of cleaning supplies and odds and ends, which is great for those like me who lived within walking distance!

When I moved into my apartment last year, I had a tragic excuse for a shower head. I was taking in the lovely view out of my window and noticed this Ace. I decided to pop over to see what they had to offer. When I first walked in, I was a little shocked at how small it was. But… they had every single thing on my shopping list, with options for most. On the recommendation of one of the friendly staff members, I ended up with a great shower head at a cheaper price than what I had seen at Target. I have gone back several times since for odds and ends, but just went in for the big splurge on paint and supplies. I stopped in twice for chips and advice, which were both plentiful. I just finished painting all three rooms and not only do the colors match the chips pretty much exactly, the amounts of paint they recommended were also pretty much spot on. Just enough for two coats and a bit left over for touch-​ups later. Thanks, boys!

The employees rock! This is my neighborhood hardware store and, like quite a few people, I get caught in the trap of automatically getting in the car and going to Home Depot in the ‘burbs. However, I’ve been training myself to support local businesses and this hardware store delivers every time. The staff is super friendly, helpful and always has what I need — including advice.
My only hesitation is that I do find Home Depot to have better prices on some items. So if I’m in the market for something that is spendy, I’ll do some price comparisons before I buy.
That said, I would much rather this place thrive and so I opt here first. The people and selection make this hardware store great — Yay. I’m a fan.

Now, I am not a handy sort of girl. I tried putting up curtains and curtain rods awhile back and it was a disaster. Shelves? Forget it. When I’m doing handy work, usually it consists of getting the right length of nail to put in the wall to hang a picture. Most of the time end up making multiple trips to the hardware store (I am SO not kidding), so I love that this Ace is within walking distance of my apartment.
I wish it weren’t in such a sketch sort of strip mall, but all in all, really helpful people, and it’s got a nice neighborhood feel to it. I appreciate people who can tell that I have no clue what I’ll looking for, and somehow help me find what I need.

If I were a little smarter, I would have noticed this pattern earlier:
Every time I haul out to the suburbs to go to a mega Home Depot, I am frustrated and disappointed. Every time I go to one of the smaller Ace Hardwares, I always find what I’m looking for and am pleasantly surprised. I don’t know how, but they always seem to have what I’m looking for. There has to be come kind of wormhole technology going on here.
This Ace Hardware is not my favorite of the 3 I frequent. In fact, it’s probably third. But it’s still good, and it’s within biking distance of my home.
What seems to set Ace Hardware apart from Home Depot is their employees. You can actually find them. They can answer your questions and help you out. Hell, you don’t even have to find them: the moment you walk in the door they offer themselves to you.
I’ve concluded that Home Depot and Ace Hardware actually have the same number of employees, but since Home Depot is 18x as large your chance of bumping into one is infinitesimally small.
The employees at this Ace are a little more hit or miss than others. They were wonderful on my last visit, more mediocre on others. But for love of god, don’t buy paint here! Everything turned out several shades lighter, so my apartment looks like a damn easter egg now. One of the «miss» employees was doing the mixing one day, and clearly had no clue what he was doing. My sister had to stand around for 45 minutes while he struggled to understand the paint mixer.
But all in all, this is a good, useful place. It’s my local hardware store, and I can be found there launching on whatever misguided home project is in my mind at the moment.