5th Street Ace Hardware

This place is awesome. You never ever have to walk around aimless searching for a product or an employee to help you. They’re organized, friendly and knowledgable.

I’m so glad they opened on 5^th St. NW. It’s close to home and convenient hours. Open until 9:00pm it’s a blessing.
Always great customer service and competitive prices.
I’ll come here before going to a big box store.

I’m never one to write a Unilocal review but my experience with the 5^th St. Ace was so bad today that I will break my streak.
Yesterday I rented a hammer drill to install some shelves in my new place. When I brought the drill home, the drill bit was broken and when you switched between rotor and hammer settings there was no difference. Luckily I had a bit I could use from my personal drill but because the impact driver system was non-​functioning I could not drill through the brick I needed to drill in order to hang the shelf.
I brought the hammer drill in today to ask for a refund and spoke with the manager. After he accused me of breaking the bit myself he told me I had no idea what I was talking about, took the drill from me, refused to give me a refund, and walked away. I have worked retail before and was shocked by that level of arrogance and disrespect. Not only was I treated unfairly, my experience with Ace’s unacceptable product was disregarded.
This location is very near my new place but that manager, Brad, makes me never want to go back. I asked for a phone number to speak with the owner or management of Ace in DC and was given a wrong number. I would still like to speak with someone from upper management but currently have no way to do so. Proceed with caution if you want to have any conversation with a manager (the rest of the staff is fantastic)

I went here to get keys copied and was instantly welcomed by the staff. They directed me to the correct area and made my keys in an instant, no waiting around and searching for someone to help me. Definitely one of the friendliest stores in the area!

You know what? I have been REALLY pleasantly surprised by the guys in the paint section. Having put up with Home Depot for years and years, I automatically associate hardware stores with hell. I think of rude employees who know nothing, waiting forever and a day for my turn to request paint, essentials that are out of stock, dust-​covered items, automated checkout machines that keep malfunctioning, and getting my bag and receipt checked by security. For me, a trip to the hardware store = guaranteed foul mood.
So imagine when the guy at the cash register acknowledges me the moment I step through the door, and the guys working in the paint section speak courteously to me and offer additional help. The guys working there even know which aisle an item is in. I’m in disbelief. Whoever manages the store did a great job of training their people. The prices are higher, but worth the peace of mind.

The staff were all very friendly and helpful! They took me exactly to where I need to go and the store was very well organized!

So nice and helpful. Stan volunteered to install the lock on my door because I did not have a screwdriver to do it myself. Cannot express my gratitude enough.

The staff here are really friendly and nice. When I entered the store I was greeted with a warm and friendly smile. I came here to get a vacuum. The vacuum was very pricey. Its okay but I think I should of went to Walmart for a better deal but this will do. This place is very clean and the staff are really friendly. Which wins point in my book.

Ok. You just have to go inside! It’s much bigger than you think, trust me. I was shocked when I saw the size of their second level. Wait! Let me backup.
When you first enter the store, it’s not immediately clear there even IS an upstairs. Then, once you see the stairs, you’re still not sure if it’s worth the effort to go up. IT IS! The place becomes surprisingly large once you do. The store’s stock includes all kinds of things. Of course you’ll find plenty of plumbing items, screws and nails, but they also carry an assortment of office supplies, natural cleaners, tools for organizing, and an array of other odds and ends.
As a bonus, well-​behaved, leashed pets are allowed to accompany you, the clerks keep dog bones behind the check out counter, and there’s a respectable pet section for sale that includes cat toys. Oh, and sometimes they hold arranged adoption days on-​site!
Lastly, for DC, I was pleasantly surprised by the store’s prices. Everything was very reasonably marked, making it even easier to support a locally owned business, versus a big box store.

Great customer service. Everyone greets you as you are walking thru the store.
The store is much bigger than I expected I have yet to go there and not find what I was looking for. I had 4 window screens fixed there and they did an awesome job. Also, I like that they are pet friendly because I can stop in and pick things up during anyone of my dog walks.
Keep up the great work.

Came in here to have keys made. So friendly, very efficient, helpful– there was one key they couldn’t copy, and they suggested a nearby place where I could have it done. Great to have a helpful hardware store! Keep it up.

The owners of this location have several stores. The husband/​wife team is really nice. The employees are friendly. They don’t just point to an aisle. They take you to your item. It is worth signing up for email since there are frequent events. I love the women’s «How to» classes and Ladies Night events.

Have been meaning to give this place a 5 star rating. Staff here is incredibly helpful and attentive, giving off the feel of an old school hardware store, rather than the overwhelming size of a Lowe’s or Home Depot. The staff gives an honest recommendation and doesn’t attempt to upsell or push additional products on you.

Well-​stocked, convenient hardware store with a knowledgeable and friendly staff. I’ve only had positive experiences with this Ace location, and it has become my go-​to place for home improvement wares.

These guys are great. I have yet to be disappointed with an Ace Hardware in DC, but this location is convenient to where I work. I have been in there 3 times in the last 2 weeks, and every time, I’m greeted with helpful feedback and a genuine smile. They mixed some paint for me, had patience when I failed to realize how involved buying paint is (color? sheen? brand? Yeesh!) and they recommended all sorts of nice odor-​absorbing products for when a sewer pipe exploded close to where I work.
So bravo, Ace, and I look forward to buying things from you in the future.

I’ve been here a few times for many different projects since it’s somewhat close to where I live. I personally don’t think this location deserves the high marks that it’s receiving. The customer service is really hit and miss, not much different than the DC Home Depot location in many ways. The good thing is that you can usually find someone since the store is smaller than Home Depot, but I’ve also had some curt sales associates. On the other hand, I’ve had some really helpful sales associates, so…
I’ll still go there due to its convenient location and their prices are pretty much the same as Home Depot, but I don’t think it deserves its incredibly high marks, at least from my experiences.

Do not ever buy paint here!
I have had a nightmare experience with this ACE paint department TWICE now, which 2x more than acceptable. First last year, they mixed the wrong color, but kept on telling me that it will dry and become dark (sunflower orange instead of a neon poison color) I was skeptical, and 12 hours later, the color was still neon. But ok they apologized, remixed the paint, and I forgave the double labor.
Skip forward a year to yesterday. I went back to buy some touch up paint to just repaint some areas. The whole thing about buying brand paint from chain stores is so that as a customer, you can trust the brand to be able to sell you the same paint.
But no– they changed their pigment supplier, but assured me that they could match it. Fail– and after applying the paint that was guaranteed to be matched so closely nobody could tell, I had to repaint the entire room, because it dried to two shades darker.
Twice this ace has cost me incredible amount of labor, and twice the management could not care less. Very disappointed.

I love this place… I never understood how much I would value a good convenient hardware store.
The staff here is top notch!!! I’ve been in this location countless times so I’ve gotten help from various people here.
They make sure to answer all your question and they will give useful tips on whatever it is you’re working on.
Small town neighborhood hardware shop feel.

For a small hardware store, the selection is pretty extensive, and most of the staff are very helpful. I definitely prefer coming here to a big box store. Prices don’t seem too different from what you’d find at Home Depot. I just learned that they now offer 30 minutes of validated parking which is a huge plus because there isn’t a ton of nearby street parking.

I’ve never experienced more helpful staff. Additionally, they have good sale items and free keys made on Fridays.
Ok, it’s more expensive than HD or Lowes, but if you need advice, this is the place to go!