Breed & Company — Local services in West Lake Hills

On 1/5/24 my husband went in to the store to purchase Christmas lights that were in sale. When he approached the manager (Max) about price, the Max rudely said that someone should be at the counter to help. When he said there was nobody at the counter, Max appeared frustrated and after getting the price. Out of the corner of his eye, my husband noticed that Max was watching him and taking pictures of him. When he was noticed, Max then backed away and Susan approached him and said "so you are buying all of them, why are you buying all of them" in a very accusatory manner. When my husband replied that it was for our venue in Lockhart she raised her voice and rudely asked "where in Lockhart" three times. She was very rude and yelled at me which is not appropriate in a retail setting. He asked her to leave him alone (twice) so I could continue shopping. When he loaded up my cart with the lights and went to the counter she then continued to push and be rude and told the cashier that he yelled at her. The experience at the store was very negative, and I believe this may have been racially motivated as husband is Hispanic. It could be considered racial profiling because of the picture taking and being interrogated as to why he needed to buy the lights. This type of behavior is not ok and should not be tolerated. Do not shop...

Everyone knows about Breed & Company as a home decor and gift shop, but it's also an Ace Hardware store.

And the truth is that Breed & Company is one of your best hardware options in Austin. After finding out that the two big box chains were out of a relatively common part for a toilet, we decided to check Ace Hardware's website and found that this Breed & Company had the part in stock.

First of all, the hardware selection here is huge. While the aisles may not be as long or as spread out as the big box stores, the selection of items is every bit as good -- if not better. And unlike the big box stores, you don't need to try to find help. Within a few minutes of fumbling around the plumbing parts, one of their staff came over to ask me what he could help me find. Then, when he had difficulty finding the item, he got more help. Once they determined they had the part, they weren't going to give up until they found it. And when I got to the front to pay, the cashiers made sure that a second register was open to take care of the two people in line.

In other words, this is the exact opposite of the big box hardware store. The most surprising part? The parts I needed were less than half the price of the...

I called ahead to make sure they had what I needed before driving 40 minutes there with a baby. Carole was so helpful. She made sure the item was in stock, called me back to let me know she had the item in hand for me, and then upon hearing I was coming with a baby, offered to have me stay in my car while she came outside to help me complete the purchase! WOW! What customer service!!!! I ended up coming inside for the purchase (personal choice) and Carole helped me out to my car with my large(ish) item since I had a baby carrier. Mind you, THIS WAS TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS so you can imagine how busy it was! I am so impressed. Thank...