Grand Lake Ace Hardware Inc — Local services in Piedmont

Definitely one of the last great neighborhood hardware stores. After the True Value stores closed in both Montclair and Glenview, I happened upon the Ace Hardware at Grand Lake and was very pleasantly surprised both by the size and variety of the inventory as well as the expertise of the staff. Over the past few years, I have been back frequently and I am happy to find most of the same friendly employees. While I may not know them by name, I remember them as "the electrical guy," "the plumbing guy," "the fastener guy," etc. Home Depot may be bigger, cheaper and open later, but I never get anywhere near the level of service as I do at this Ace location. Only OSH in Berkeley can beat it for sheer variety of inventory, but still falls short on customer service. I will also note that, despite the shortage of parking, I do see many of my neighbors here as well so it would seem that mere proximity is not the only thing going for this store. It should also be mentioned that, on the rare occasion when they didn't have the part I needed, "the electrical guy" was quick to recommend another epic local merchant in Berkeley, Al Lasher's, for electronic supplies...but that is for another review.

To sum up...if you are looking for the cheapest price (although you may have to buy 12 screws when you only need 1), you know know exactly what you need and where to find it, then Home Depot is your place. If you want any kind of help, instruction, recommendation or specific assistance, then check out the Grad Lake Ace...

I think experienced racial micro agressions today. I went in looking for a tool near the back wall and an older employee was patrolling the back tool wall, almost as soon as I arrived. I couldn't find my tool so I asked him for help. He was very short with me the entire time, and initially didn't bother to look for the tool on his device. After I asked him if he could look it up to see if it's in stock, he begrudgingly pulled it out. In an annoyed voice, he showed me how it's not in stock. I asked him if he can see where the tool is nearby, and he refused to help. When looking at his device, I saw that there was a button that showed nearby locations with the tool. Alternatively, he could have pointed me in the right direction of someone who knew how to look it up.

No, he just refused to offer alternatives, and sent me on my way. Moments later, he began talking to a younger white woman who needed help with something. The conversation was like night and day, he began conversating with her and offering advice and such.

I expect better from piedmont establishments but who am I kidding. If you're a BIPOC just go...

Today (Sunday 7/9) my husband came to pick up a few tiny parts to repair my bicycle. As Shane waited to find the part an employee walked up to him and told Shane to empty his pockets because he was suspected of stealing. I realize there is a lot of that going on and we must be careful and have integrity. The employee who said this to my husband was degrading rude and humiliating to my husband. When Shane complied and emptied his pockets the employee neither apologized for the embarrassing accusation nor offered help in finding the product my husband came to purchase. When my husband came to the register this employee stepped in front of my husband and began talking to the cashier about unrelated topic taking more of my husbands time without consideration or respect for my husband as a patron much less a person who was there to buy a product. It is clear our business is no longer welcome in Ace Hardware and we will no...