Dutton Hardware

This ACE Hardware looks deceptively small from the outside, but once inside, you’ll see just how much stuff they have! The store goes all the way back, and the shelves are stacked pretty high, so they’ve managed to stock this store with lots and lots of stuff!
They carry cleaning supplies, tools, nails, painting supplies, and other household items. They even carry seasonal items like Christmas lights. I often come here to get cleaning supplies and mason jars for my canning needs.
It’s always good to ask the owners for the items you’re looking for since they have so much stuff. They know where everything is and will find it for you in a jiffy!

This cool little neighborhood hardware store has everything, and was able to help me with exactly what I needed without waiting too long or driving to Home Depot and spending way too much time. When I need something in the future, I will check here first. This is my new go-​to spot for keys too.

They have some of everything and the staff are actually friendly and knowledgeable. Worlds apart from the bug box stores. It’s a family business and I like that about a local store as well.

Three aisles packed to the ceiling. What you need is probably there, and the nice lady will point you to it. The selection ranges from the mundane to the offbeat, and when you’re done, reward yourself with a donut next door, or coffee around the corner.
Way more fun than a big box store.

What a joy to come here.
Easy, close, fast, friendly, with old-​fashion hardware store charm.
I come here all the time, calling first if I’m not sure if they will have it – just did that, and they will transfer from their Piedmont store.
I don’t ever try to find things here, but that is what the personal help is for.
Sure, Home Depot is cheaper, but after you drive there, navigate the giant store, try to find what you want, or God help you, try to find someone to help you that has a clue, how much has that taken — how much is your time worth? Your stress?

Good old fashioned, well-​stocked hardware store. Hard to come by a good one these days, and this one’s real close to home. The owner is very helpful. I came in with a handful of parts and an obscure problem to solve and we came up a with a good cheap solution.
On the downside, the prices are a bit higher than I would pay elsewhere.

Super cute, friendly family-​owned and operated neighborhood ACE hardware store!

Throwback to old school hardware stores. If you need it, its probably jammed in there somewhere. I like the cramped aisles and crazy warren of things going to the back. Have some patience and look around. You will probably end up with more things for projects than you came in for.

Do not tell me an item is in stock, unless the item is actually IN STOCK. I wasted a day and driving time. =(

It’s local and retains only a small piece of the charm it had in the past under different owners.
This place is a mess with junk everywhere. Don’t trip over anything… Yea it probably has what you want but man! Doubt you’ll find it without assistance.
I’ve lived in the Estudillo Estates area of San Leandro for 21+ years and this store used to be my go-​to place for everything including how-​to advice. Not so much now.
Be sure to feed the meter outside. SL parking cops circle ths place like sharks.

It is blowing my mind that this store can get 5 stars! Today (Friday afternoon beginning Labor Day weekend) I went in looking for 3 specific things. I couldn’t find one of them but I was only hoping it would be there. The other two items I THINK I could see on the very top shelves. There was only one little lady helping one customer. While I waited — for 20 minutes — I saw no less than 6 potential customers come and go. Even if you found the item of your dreams, you were unable to pay for it while the one employee helped the one customer. Sadly, this is the second time I’ve stumbled on this same scenario. I love to buy family owned and local, but DAMN. I very nearly used a ladder leaning precariously near my desired items but decided — wisely — against it.

It doesn’t look promising. It’s darkish, crowded, stuffed to the gills. Very old fashioned looking. And yet…
Go in there, or call, when you are looking for something specific. Don’t try to find it yourself, just tell the person in front (it’s family run) what you want. Likely they’ve got it. If they don’t have it, they’ll get it, and they’ll maybe get it for you in a few HOURS.
I called there the day before Burning Man started, looking for water containers for a friend who was more focussed on his artwork than on practicalities. «Give me an hour?» the young man on the other end of the line said, «I am pretty sure I can get what you need.» And sure enough, an hour later, he had three five-​gallon canisters waiting for me, even though everywhere else in town was sold out.
Do I know where he got them? I didn’t ask.
Just call. They can fix you up.

Remember this place is a local store, not like Lowes or Home Depot. I actually think this is a swell place and area. Imagine if it were a Home Depot, gosh! maybe there’ll finally be a detailed place for detergents…

I agree with a reviewer below who said that you need to come in here using some common sense; this is a local, very small Ace Hardware, not a Home Depot, not a Lowe’s, so if you come in here looking for everything they carry and then some you’re looking in the wrong place, and frankly not using your head very well. Despite the size of this particular Ace, however, there is a cornucopia of goods jam packed in here and if you’re in need of something and don’t know where to start (it can be overwhelming, admittedly), just ask the woman who owns the place. She’s super nice and always jumps to help, and despite it seeming like the place has little to no order, she apparently has a method to navigating the madness. I really am impressed with the amount of stuff this store manages to provide, and the prices are reasonable considering the owners could be charging an arm and a leg for everything.
When my parents were renovating our house years ago, this Ace was a lifesaver so many times over; having it just down the street not only saved us money, but it saved us time. We still come here when we need something small and quick, and I love how many decades this store has been around. My only real complaint is how unorganized and cramped everything is kept here, and that the curb appeal of this Ace could be majorly improved. However, service is excellent and the variety of goods offered is large, so I’ll keep bringing my business here.

I really like this place but the 5 stars assumes you apply a little common sense. They don’t have everything a Home Depot would — how could they? And if you don’t want to ask for help you probably can’t find anything. But that being said, if you are in the middle of some project and realize you’re short on something it’s a tremendous time saver. Not just for the homeowner but I know local contractors that shop there when they’re in the area and run out of caulk or whatever — yes, they’re a little more, but the time saved versus driving to a big box store from that part of San Leandro is substantial. Sometimes the important thing is to get back on the job.
Just go in, look for the lady who runs the place, tell her what you want. She’ll either say, sorry, we don’t have that or more likely say oh, it’s on this aisle ¾ of the way back on the bottom shelf labeled such and such. If it’s in a hard to find area she’ll walk you over. You buy it, you leave. In and out in 2 minutes. Get a doughnut next door as your reward.

I tried giving them some business by shopping the local mom & pops in the neighborhood but they didn’t stock the items I was looking for. Some of their products sit on the shelves a long time before they’re sold so beware. I bought spray paint that wouldn’t spray and had to drive back and exchange. Things are cheaper at Walmart and Home Deport, a short drive away.

Great customer service from the lady and the younger boy who hangs out in the store on weekends. If you don’t like clutter, you shouldn’t shop at this store. If you want a great, small hardware store experience… then you should put up with the clutter and try this place the next time you need that odd piece of plumbing, nut, bolt, etc.
I found the replacement bars and locking screws to repair the 60 year old door knobs in my house and a repair kit for an older toilet. You’d have a hard time at OSH (still a favorite of mine) and even harder time at HomeDepot.
You do have to be aware of the shelve life of some of the consumables however. I bought weather stripping once and it was just too old for the glue to still work.
Instead of browsing around, most times I just tell the lady what I am trying to do and she points me in the right direction… then I browse around after to find the little jems in the piles of stuff.

we love this hardware store. as fellow Unilocalers mentioned, this is a local, independent, small business that has been around for YEARS (decades).
although it’s stuffed silly with a wide variety inventory, they make good use of their footprint. btw, their footprint is a fraction of the size of home depot or lowes and this shop has what you need — impressive huh? what’s more, you get better service and helpful advice without having to stand in long lines or deal with rude staff. they’ll even special order your items without a service charge.

No lines! A straight forward neighborhood Store that offers advice and troubleshooting techniques for the typical D.I.Y. They usually have what you need or will get it for you within the next ordering session. The convenience is worth the extra cost that you typically could save at Home Depot. I come here for all my quick last minute «honeydo» tasks.

Wow, what a gem of a store!
I stumbled into this old-​fashioned, stuffed to the brim, hardware store while visiting my accountant the other day.
I was looking for replacement faucet handles — the ones that the jagoff contractor installed in my new store five months ago had failed and we were reduced to washing our hands using a pair of vise-​grips to turn the water on and off.
The owner is an extremely affable man, who led me back into the far reaching warrens of his (from the outside anyways) teeny shop to a huge display of faucet replacement parts — as large as I’ve seen in a Home Depot or Orchard to be sure.
The price seemed right, just about what I would have paid at a big box store, but the difference here was that I was supporting a small, family owned, independent business, was being served by the owner of said business, and all seemed right with the world.
When the owner found out that I owned Farmstead Cheeses and Wines, a gleam of recognition passed over his face. «I live in Montclair,» he told me.
And there it was, Unilocalers — owner to owner of two tiny businesses transacting commerce the way it’s been done in this country for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Although, wait a minute. Tiny shops are disappearing every day, especially in this economy.
Please avoid shopping at chains. Spend your hard earned $$ at your local indy outlets — even if you might be paying a dollar or two more. Every $ you spend at Walmart, Whole Foods, Amazon, or the Apple Store (instead of the local hardware, indie grocery, book shop or record store) is a $ that leaves YOUR community and goes into the coffers of some nameless corporation.
Cheesemonger sez: shop local…