Ace Pinellas Garden & Hardware

I actually really like this to be my go to store. I have to keep in mind when I shop here it is not a home depot it has a smaller variety of items. I must say every time I have ever gone here there is always a staff member close by to assist you if you need it and sometimes that means more to me then to find the item that I was looking for, they will usually offer me an alternative.

A female voiced employee told me to come in Thursday mornings because that was the least busiest time & someone would help me with a problem. I was optimistic because I had been there 3 years before and always found someone to help me. Employee Joanne said that she’d contact the manager to help me. She NEVER did. An older employee, Kevin, was extremely helpful with my problem AFTER I ASKED HIM. I saw Joanne & the manager at the checkout and both said nothing except wearing a smile. Now I will drive more miles to get better service at another Ace Hardware.

A big place in a small place with a little of everything you need. Clean, well organized… Curious.

I love local small businesses. I shop at a lot of them. This store I will not. At least not anymore. First of all, the prices are higher than they should be. I understand that they are trying to compete with the larger stores like Lowes and Home Depot, however, if I’m going to pay more money for something I could get much cheaper somewhere else, I’d at least like to get exceptional customer service. I live less than 5 minutes away from this store and I last visited this past week. It was just as bad as usual. I have never gotten good customer service here. EVER. The girls at the register never say hello, there is always people talking behind the counter who never ask if I need help, and no one seems to enjoy being there. God forbid I ask a question about the return policy. Never again. Id’d rather go to Lowe’s where people actually know something about the items they sell and if anything goes wrong, I can return something without ANY hassle or concern.

Well we all know how I feel about local businesses. I’ll pick them any day of the week of large, super chains. I am never even sure if doing this matters and honestly I don’t care. I feel better. Hardware is an easy one, because anywhere you are there’s usually an Ace that is locally owned.
And sure enough, in the ‘Burg we have one of the best. I can say anytime i go here I am treated with utmost respect, greeted with a smile and asked a million times if I can be helped — which, invariable, given the fact that I terrible at anything related to handyman crap, I need.
These guys helped me build a compost pile in my backyard; helped me buy the right tools to hang a curtain rod; saved me from buying an overpriced electric tape measure and even spent 5 minutes helping me pick out two 23 cent screws — do the cost analysis on that.
All this to say; you need fix-​it stuff in St Pete you go here. Period.

I am a local MLK business owner… I am all about shoppping local and even though Ace is a franchise, it is still locally owned. I tried to go through Ace for all my hardware needs for both my business and my home. I even told other friends to shop there in support. With that said, I have never had worse customer service in my life! You cannot buy with confidence. They have a terrible return policy and a reputation for not caring. Won’t even exchange an «Ace» brand product for an even exchange of another «Ace» brand product without a receipt…“it’s our policy” is all you will hear from the smug register girl. Stick with Lowe’s or Home Depot. They are not far from Ace. They have more products and appropriate terms for exchanges or returns. You won’t need a receipt to exchange one product for another and you can return tools with a receipt, no questions asked.
Way to go, Ace!!! Even heard another couple in Ace speak directly about the owners being really cheap. I guess they don’t care. I won’t shop there ever again and I can throw a stone and it would land in their parking lot!

Call me crazy but I’ll take a trip to Ace Hardware over the bigger boys (Lowes, Home Depot) any day. It’s obviously a heck of a lot smaller — therefore it can only stock so much. A big job is going to need a trip to the big boys, but keys, paint (Benjamin Moore sold here), paint supplies, gardening needs, hardware all have me driving to this store. It has a friendly, old fashioned vibe. It feels like the little hardware store I used to go with my dad to on weekends. The employees wear their red vests and are always available to help. They’re relaxed, chatty. I don’t have to walk 8 miles to get from plumbing to door knobs.
I like to buy a small Coke in a glass bottle at checkout before the short drive back home… kind of fits the mood.