12 Old-Fashioned Hardware Store Finds That Will Save You Money

Let us celebrate the old-fashioned hardware store, with its worn wide-plank floors, scent of wood chips and linseed oil, and aisles of garden gear. Bask in the wisdom of the seasoned shopkeeper, who has decades of experience and a comforting “I’ve seen it all and I’ve fixed it all” approach to solving a problem.

I also go to the hardware store for savings. Many of the everyday items in my garden shed (as shown above in the featured photograph by Leslie Santarina) can be found for lower prices at an old-fashioned hardware shop. From jute twine to a flower pot brush, I’ve found much of my favorite, most useful garden gear at a hardware shop.

Looking for a deal? Or for something that will surprise and delight you? Take a poke around the aisles in Ohio-based Lehman’s Hardware (“family owned and operated since 1955”) or the Do It Best member-owned hardware cooperative headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Don’t forget to rummage in Menard’s, founded in Eau Clare, Wisconsin in 1959 by John Menard Jr. There probably is an Ace Hardware shop in your neighborhood too.

Or shop online at any of them. Here we’ve rounded up a dozen examples of old-fashioned hardware store finds—including some found in my own garden shed—to ease a gardener’s chores:

Garden Hose

Above: A 50-foot Commercial Duty Garden Hose is made of industrial-strength rubber and has solid brass fittings; “designed for flexibility the internal cross-weave mesh bends without kinking,” notes manufacturer Greenwood. It is $20.99 from Harbor Freight.

Brass Hose Nozzle

Above: A 4-inch Brass Garden Hose Nozzle has an “adjustable spray pattern from stream to mist.” It is $3.49 from Harbor Freight.

Garden Gloves

Above: A pair of Grain Leather Gloves in women’s sizes is made of grain cowhide leather; $6.99 at Menards.

Flower Pot Brush

Above: A Flower Pot Brush is “made for cleaning flower pots, and has a conical shape that removes stubborn dirt remnants easily, even from the curves of the pot,” notes hardware shop Lehman’s. It is $14.99.

Bird Feeder

Above: A 9.75-inch-tall Yellow Metal Tube Bird Feeder has removable parts for easy cleaning and is $9.87 from Hardware World.

Drop Cloth

Above: Made by Trimaco, a two-layer canvas Drop Cloth measures 4 by 15 feet and is $21.49 from Do It Best Hardware.

Rain Gauge

Above: A rust-resistant Glass Rain Gauge in an aluminum tube measures in both millimeters and inches; it is $2.05 from Hardware World.

Wooden Plant Markers

Above: A package of 24 6-inch Wood Plant Labels is $1.73 at Menard’s.

Porch Ceiling Light

Above: A clear ribbed glass jelly jar Outdoor Ceiling Light Fixture takes one 60-watt bulb (not included). It is $5.79 from Hardware World.

Bamboo Plant Supports

Above: A four-pack of 4-foot Bamboo U Hoops is $3.87 at Midland Hardware.

Rotating Sprinkler

Above:A three-arm revolving Metal Sled Base Rotor Sprinkler has a range of 45 feet in diameter. A house brand, it’s $15.99 at Ace Hardware.

Jute Garden Twine

Above: A 190-foot roll of Twisted Natural Jute Twine, useful for tying plants to arbors or other supports, is $1.75 at Menard’s.

Plant Pots

Above: Made in Germany, an 8-inch Terra Cotta Plant Pot has a drainage hole and is $3.49 from Do It Best Hardware.

Shopping for Garden Tools, Pots & Planters, or Garden Gloves & Gear? See more of our favorites:

• 10 Ideas to Organize the Perfect Potting Shed
• Garden Tools: Which Trowel or Weeder is Best for You?
• Leather Gauntlet Gloves That Will Change Your Life
• 10 Easy Pieces: Garden Overalls