City Mill - Kaneohe — Attraction in Oʻahu

I had been meaning to get to my Mililani store to get a part for my toilet that “screamed in agony” while it filled the tank after a flush. It was quite loud and hope it didn’t bother my neighbors as I live in a townhouse. Never had this issue before with my fluid master.

City Mill closes a bit too early for me. I wish they were open to at least 8:00pm.

I had some business in Kaneohe on Tuesday that I was able to finish early. I hoped the Kaneohe Store was still open, it was around 6:30pm.

Yippee! Grabbed a shopping cart and headed in. I love to wander any City Mill Store.

In the 60’s, we tore down the old house we lived in and had a new house built for us. After we moved in, Dad would make a trip to the Honolulu City Mill store, from Makaha, when he needed supplies for his various projects around our home. City Mill was like a wonderland for me...I remember all the lumber, sheets of plywood, 2x4’s, cutting to size if needed... I was the oldest child, so I was Dad’s helper. I had my own real hammer, and was given pieces of scrap wood to nail together. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t make anything useful, I was happy with what Dad didn’t need.

As Dad’s helper, I learned a lot just by observing. Toilets seemed to need attention frequently, with 4 girls and 1 boy (the youngest), I watched Dad plunge toilets, changed the innards, learned to lift the ball arm to stop the toilet from running, etc.

So I found some things I needed on the way to the plumbing section. Found the Fluidmaster section and had picked up the whole system and wax ready to toss this into my cart, when a City Mill employee, a Japanese man who looked a bit older than me, asked if he could help me. I thanked him for the offer and told him about my “screaming toilet”, and showed him the item I planned to fix it with. He stopped me, then he took an item off a peg, and told me that “this is what you need”. I then looked at his name tag, I think his name was Lance(?).

He continued to “educate” me. He took a sample fluidmaster used to demonstrate how to use (for people like me). He showed me how I should use my left hand to hold the stem and my middle and ring fingers to hold the arm up; while using my right hand to grab the cap on the top of the stem and push it down while turning the cap clockwise, causing the cap to come off. Then he showed me what I would see with cap removed. Explained: 1. Turn off water supply 2.Flush toilet 3. Remove the cap, just like he showed me. 4. Then hold cap over the stem and turn the water back on - not full blast - just enough rinse the sediment from the stem and cap throughly. 5. Insert the new “Toilet Fill Valve Seal” put all back together Turn the water back on... and ... ta da! All Pau!

Lance(?) saved me around $15.00 by educating me on this seal, and taking the time to teach me exactly how install this fix by his hands on demonstration, truly an invaluable lesson. I will teach this to my son, my brother, brother-in-law and anyone who has a “screaming toilet”!

I asked Lance(?) if he had been a plumber by trade...he shook his head “No”. Probably learned the same way he taught me...

I would appreciate if City Mill management would give this quiet, unassuming, teacher/sensei, a customer service award for excellence... and if possible, inform me when this would be presented as I would like to give this wonderful man a lei from me...

I’m celebrating my 62nd birthday soon; I’ve worked in retail; waited tables; and worked the phones (customer service) for over 20 years with a local cable company...

I appreciate excellent customer service when I receive it... Mahalo to Lance( I really hope I got his name right) for being there for me even though I thought I knew what I was doing...saving me a few bucks, plus educating me... Mahalo and...

They're always short-staffed, but the level of incompetence when I went in to get some lumber was astronomical..Nobody could tell me the process there so they told me to wait in line and pay for it first. I waited a long line finally got to the front of the line and they said no... You have to go back to lumber and get it taken care of. I go back there. The guy knew nothing. He couldn't tell me what was pressure treated or where certain things were. Couldn't help me with cutting a piece of wood so it would fit in my vehicle even though I was told that there was someone back there who could help me or I wouldn't have taken the time to come in the first place. The guy who could help me was there but they let him leave and clock out for lunch because nobody told him that I needed help even though they said they were going to let him know. I will never go back! I live 2 minutes up the road and I will drive into town every time from now on to avoid going there or go to aces who is...

City Mill is one of the two DIY stores located in the heart of Kaneohe. While it serves its purpose, it isn’t particularly exceptional. The tools available are standard models, so you shouldn’t expect to find any specialized equipment. The selections of furniture, bathroom fixtures, kitchen items, and lighting are primarily functional and economical, but the quality isn’t particularly high. However, they do offer decent lumber options and a small variety of plants.

This store is a great option when you need something quickly and don’t want to drive into town. It’s especially suitable for home projects that require multiple trips to the store.

Parking is generally not an issue, but leaving the lot can be challenging due to street-side vehicles obstructing the view of oncoming traffic. Overall, it deserves a five-star rating for being a conveniently located, small-town hardware store with friendly staff and a reasonable...