I think there's like 6000 people in our town so we've only got one hardware store. Three years ago when we moved here it had been bought out by Rona not long before, it was an independent for years. It was good. Kinda hokey with not well thought out lean to additions, low doorways and a lot of it not heated, but the nut and bolt bins were full, lumber pretty good and not a lot to complain about for a small town.
Then another outfit bought them out and moved into a newer but smaller imo building. Heavy on the glitz and housewares and gardening chit but no one's minding the bolts, screws fasteners and duh... hardware. Its a crap shoot every time I go, you eventually find the bin but its out or even has the wrong size screw in it. I'm like get one guy that knows what he's doing to spend a day on all fasteners, straighten it up and restock the damn things when you're out. I'm loosin the love..
Other than that 40 minutes or so I'm at a Home Depot, an hour a Lowes. I'd probably say Lowes would be the better. There's a couple independents same distance that I like for lumber or boat hardware or whatever the case may be but can't say there is one hardware that will have everything I'm looking for all the time.
