Rocky's Ace Hardware — Local services in New London

You know you're in a small New England town when the local hardware store's been owned by the same family for an eon & it's staffed by local soccer moms, "Mr. Fix-Its" & retirees. [The moms only want to work while the kids are in school; the Mr. Fix-Its enjoy the employee discount & helping others navigate their DIY projects; the retirees either need supplemental income and/or want to be with people.] Local hardware stores are the backbone of many Hallmark Movie Channel "New girl moves to quiet town to start over; buys rundown colonial that she's going to renovate -- all by herself, mind you -- as a way of healing from whatever G-rated "tragedy" she's running from; obviously she'll need to shop the local hardware store; enter hunky handyman who just happens to walk by at the right moment & save her from a sea of polyester, nylon & foam paintbrushes ("if you're planning on painting the Sistine Chapel, that's a great choice" he says, as she giggles awkwardly & admits she just needs to cover a "horrendous mustard & avocado" colored wall that some inspired bed & breakfast owner thought would be evocative..."Oh, you must be the proud new owner of The Olde Windstalker Inn"....and we're all supposed to ignore the forced chemistry between these two....) ~ even without ever watching one of these mind-numbing dime store plotted Disney inspired flicks, we all know the story. Clarke's Hardware Store has all the small-town friendliness & quintessential local characters, set in a picturesque New England village straight out of a Norman Rockwell print, but what will surprise any unsuspecting visitor is the massive inventory & size of this "bygone era" staple. The place is now triple the size it was when my very own "working single mom" was employed there 30-plus years ago. Now I don't know if you'll find EVERYTHING you need here, but there's a very good chance you will, and if nothing else, it's definitely worth trying before driving a good 30-minutes in either direction to get to the closest faceless big box store. And at least you'll feel, if only for 10 minutes, that America's society isn't all scandal-loving, fame-mongering, wealth-obsessed, soulless people. Here, if you frequent Clarke's Hardware, you'll soon feel as though you stepped into that other New England establishment "where everybody knows...

I drove 90 minutes to get here from our house right after 26 inches of wet heavy snow that took out our power. I called to verify that they had a specific generator in stock. the kind woman I spoke to said they did in fact have that. I asked if they could hold it while I drove there I was informed they could not. I asked if I could pay over the phone, and was once again told no. I was informed I could order online and that would hold it. I ordered the generator online and proceeded to go up there. We finally got there, went in, spoke to a nice gentleman who asked our name confirmed the order and went to get the generator. He came back after 5 minutes and said the one they had on the floor was just an empty box, but not to worry the system said they had another one. He spent another 20 minutes looking for it. He came back and informed me they did not have it and apologized profusely. Obviously I was not happy. What turned this from a 1 star review into a 5 star is how they dealt with it and the genuine customer service I got. He went to find another generator that they had in stock. It was roughly 20% smaller than what we wanted, but our generator had just died so we didn't have much of a choice. That didn't stop them from taking $100 off of the price and loading it into the vehicle for us. They made me feel much better about the entire situation. They even gave me some Excedrin they had, because I developed a migraine. I wish I could do more than this review, and I wish I had gotten the name of the gentleman who helped us, but thank you for making a bad situation much better...

We’ve been loyal customers of Ace Rocky Hardware in New London for years, frequently purchasing supplies to maintain our historic bed and breakfast. However, after our experience today, we won’t be returning.

We spent roughly $150 during our visit, and shortly after completing the transaction, I realized I had a $20-off-$100 coupon. When I asked if the coupon could be applied, the employee, Carmlee, immediately said, “It’s too late.” While initially disappointed, I decided to go back and politely ask for assistance, as I’ve worked in retail and understand these situations can often be resolved.

Carmlee informed us she needed a manager, but the manager declined, stating the coupon had to be presented at checkout—even though I was just seconds too late. Understanding their policy, I said I’d like to return the items anyway. Carmlee’s demeanor changed entirely. She appeared frustrated and visibly upset, ignoring my apologies for the inconvenience. When the return was finally processed, she essentially threw the receipt at us without a word.

We’re deeply disappointed. Times are tough, especially around the holidays, and $20 is significant for our family. What’s more disheartening is the complete lack of respect we received despite trying to handle the situation politely.

Goodbye, Rocky Hardware in New London—you’ve lost loyal...