University True Value

University True Value was the only local hardware store I visited that actually had ordinary black window screen material in stock. Not 70’s gray. Not sun screen material. Not ‘visibility’ screen material.
And their staff was helpful and efficient.
Imagine nearby Kafkaesque Hardwick’s Hardware, but compact and without tripping hazards – where sensible staff manage to keep items in inventory and off the floor & up in their shelves.
Or imagine Madison Park Hardware, but with a thorough selection and without the ghost aisles of dusty toys.

Really friendly staff. I love a place where they have genuine, good people.
I lost my home in a fire five blocks away from this place. I haphazardly walked in, not sure of what I needed to enter the house safely. I was under a lot of stress, didn’t know what to do or which mask to get, but the staff was super friendly and sympathetic, even giving the mask to me for free. I appreciated this so much; a small act of kindness really goes far.
I came in a few days after to get saddle soap (to clean my leather goods) and get some keys copied. They were super fast, friendly, and awesome as usual. Would really recommend this place.

I returned a doorknob I bought MONTHS ago with no receipt and they gave me a full refund. They easily could have pulled the whole «store credit, buy our stuff» move but they were so understanding and cool about it.
I love wandering the store, great selection, and they even have decent paint as well! A surprisingly big selection of supplies for the size of the store.
Awesome place, give these folks your business

This place has the best customer service, hands down. They are not only extremely knowledgeable, but also very friendly. Even if you go in not knowing what to get, just explain what you’re trying to do and they will help you.
Everything I have purchased here has been fairly standard in price, occasionally a little more than average. But you’re in the U District, what do you expect? This store always has what I need, at a fair price, and I feel good supporting a place with a great owner and great employees.

Can we say pricey!?! I know it’s in the U district so there isn’t much of a choice but Bartell’s had some of the stuff I was looking for at 40 – 50 percent less!
The store was cramped and jam packed but the workers were willing to help with any questions.

Maybe this is because I do have a general idea what I’m doing when it comes to being handy, but I’ve generally found the guys in this store to be nice. Quirky. Occasionally gruff, but mostly endearing.
Aside from my ad hominem evaluation, they’re also generally helpful. I appreciate that they’ve always had what I’ve needed, crowded store or not. Narrow aisles don’t bother me when there’s staff that always tells me where I need to look, and they’ve so far always been right on the first try.
Downside: sooooo expensive. Hence, I give 4 stars instead of 5. I think part of that is just that this is a hardware store in the middle of a city, not one of the friendly if faceless suburban Home Depots I grew up with. If you’ve got a long shopping list and a car, I’d still recommend heading to a cheaper giant corporate store.

This review is strictly on customer service since I’ve only gone once to get some paint.
The shop itself is small and feels like a small mom and pop hardware store. The aisles are narrow, their floors are damaged and needs to be redone, but it game me a feeling of stepping back in time which I kind of liked.
The guy helping me with the paint was really nice. He knew exactly the paint I wanted and promptly mixed my paint together. I had my two little girls with me and he offered to help me carry the paint cans to my car. Now that’s what I call great customer service!

Pros: Convenience
Cons: Staff (At lease the tall guy with lots of tattoos who works the register) This is how our conversation went: «looking for blah where can I find it?» «It’s over there, its written on the sign.» Then he gave me the are you slow for not noticing a modestly sized sign in a hardware store chalk full of random stuff that you have never been into?
Overall they have things yeah, but at least 4 others I have talked to all have had the same experience there. Just go to Hardwick’s on Roosevelt, it is close by, much better prices, and better staff. I don’t give 1 star lightly.

I guess it’s time for my 2 cents. I work down the street, so for convenience sake, this place is the nuts. Just returned from picking up a few things that I need. I stopped at the counter to ask about a sink washer to see it they carried it. The guy behind the counter said I’ll show you. He took me back to the plumbing section, asked how many I needed and proceeded to pick them out. It took my about 1 minute to find exactly what I needed. Can you beat that? I’ve always had good service here, and I think they must be taking the reviews to heart. If you had a bad experience, give it another chance, you won’t be disappointed.

When I first moved into the neighborhood this store had decent employees. Now the guys working there act like they could gove a *bleep* less and like you are a dope for even asking questions. While I find that attitude unpleasant, I realize those guys are in a dead end job with low pay and absolutely no future.
Anyway, sometimes this store makes life a bit easier, so thats why I shop there from time to time.

Every neighborhood needs a basic hardware store. For your big stuff, sure you could trek over to Home Depot or Lowe’s or whatever. But if you’re near the Ave and find yourself in need of provisions this is a perfectly fine place to get them.
We dropped in for hooks, and I realized I needed a cedar hanging thing for my closet to repel moths. A small shop, the place definitely felt well stocked to the point of a little chaotic, but the employees were quick to direct me when I asked.
As a sucker for random toys, I lit up when discovering a dinosaur that roared and shined a light through its mouth. It now sits on my desk.

They made my keys while I waited and had a great selection of cute keys to choose from.
The place is a bit of a disaster cause they seem to be cramming as much stuff as possible in there… but I would rather they had what I was looking for than not enough items.
There is one worker who always seems really REALLY grumpy.

This is a small friendly neighborhood hardware store. They answer their phone and tell you how many of an item they have left! Amazing!

I love this place, its cheaper than some of the other stuff around (although I don’t have any major houseware needs, so perhaps I am wrong). Guy who I always see at the front desk is really nice and as soon as I say _​_​_​_​_​he can point me exactly what I’m looking for. And as for the creepiness, yeah it is a little hole in the wall, but hey… its the Ave.

I went there to make duplicate keys and they were really fast. I also usually go there when I need tools for my bike or car. They have what I need — like socket wrenches and Alan keys. The people there are helpful and are willing to help you find what you need. Great hardware store to go if you live in the u district. It might be the only one as well.

I went here five years ago to have a key duplicated. I was lucky enough to be in line when the dude behind the counter finally (literally) had his nervous breakdown right before I asked him to make my key. The manager didn’t care. I have a friend who works for the BBB who was finally ready to do something about this place. But then I realized, most of these people are miserable enough. STAY AWAY!!!

Sometimes I paint a bathroom or need solvents and I know what they are.
I’ve worked in two True Value stores in as many cities.
That said, I know what a drag it can be to work at a hardware store.
Working at a hardware store is one of the most under appreciated jobs I’ve had. You are «expected» by every customer to have the best answer for every concievable question known to man.
I’m not overstating this.
That said. The owner is quiet. And the employees are hating life. It is a fact.
SO! If you go into this store after researching what you REALLY need for your home project, these guys will help you find everything.
BUT! If you go into this store not knowing what you need and you have an attitude, show frustration or get that weird look, just understand that you need to figure your needs out before you get all worked up.

Felicia C.‘s review is right on the money. This place is über creepy. The guys at the front counter wear some really crazy clothes and there’s zombie/​pirate/​creep-​o stuff all over the place (note the skull & crossbones sticker on the fan at the front counter). The guys took a good 60 seconds going back and forth debating who would make my keys… one of them (the younger one) finally agreed to do it.
I asked them to make two copies of the keys to my apartment. They refused to make a copy of the key to the front door of the building because it had «Do not duplicate» printed on it. Now, I’m standing there with my girlfriend — I’m clearly handing all of the copied keys to her, so she can have a set. And meanwhile, the exact type of key I need for making a copy, is sitting right there on the counter… so, you can’t make a copy of my key but you’ll make copies of other apartment front door keys that use the exact same type of key (?). I’m not entirely blaming these guys for the problem — but sheesh — they could have been slightly less rude about it.
Overall, the store is crowded and overpriced. I saw things in there marked at twice or three times their suggested retail value… most of it is general household items that college students need and those without a vehicle (or the time to take the bus) are screwed into using this place and paying a premium for it. Other items (BBQ grills) were low quality and horribly overpriced — a perfect option for a last minute cook-​out for college students with mom & dad’s credit card in their wallet.
I won’t go here again… and the reviews on Unilocal aren’t the only bad ones, just do a Google search and you’ll find even more.

I went here for the first time the other day, to get a key made. I felt like I walked into that scene in Pulp Fiction. It was creepy… nobody talked to me, it took five minutes for the creeper serial-​killer-​esque man to even notice me, and then the social awkwardness and mutual triangle of hatred of the three workers there almost ‘sploded my brains. Good price on key-​making, though, and once I got his attention, the guy did it pretty quick. That’s what she said. Ha.

I think all the employees here that I have encountered, with the exception of one guy (dont know his name), are real hardware/​handyman/​fixer-​upper snobs that don’t really want to help you unless you speak their language. Whatever language that might be, I certainly don’t know it. I’m sorry if I don’t know the terms and names for the stupid tools I need to fix my house.
My roommate and I just moved into a house that needed major remodeling. We‘ve been working on the place for over a month, and this store just happened to be the closest to us. Now, my roommate knows his way around his toolbox. I, on the other hand, hadn‘t even opened my toolbox since I got it 3 years ago when I first moved to my own apartment. Basically, I‘m the noob of newbs. No clue at all.
I go in there, asking for suggestions for cleaning and sanding down my hardwood floor that‘s covered in paint and hardened glue from 40+ years back. He gave us some type of thinner. I tried it, didnt work, so we went back… and we weren’t even wanting to get our money back or anything. We just told him that the stuff he suggested earlier didn’t work and wanted something stronger. He basically gave us the ‘duh‘ look and major attitude.
Whatever, I still went back there 3 – 4 more times and got mediocre to poor service. Finally my last time there, I asked for something that I had gotten at Home Depot: ‘Lambskin’ applicator for wood finish. That’s what the it says on the packaging ‘Lambskin’, so I was just going by that. The guy looked at me as if I was from outer space or some backward country… like ‘wtf are you talking about?‘.
Bottom line: I‘m not going there again. Hardwick‘s is sooo much better. I just have to walk further, boo.
But if you feel like you‘ve got your advanced handyman and hardware knowledge down and proper, go try the guys at True Value. Go challenge them to a game of Hardware Jeopardy or some crap like that.