Three Hardware Stores in North Raleigh

One of Max's favorite things is to wander around in hardware stores. The more unique the store the better! In North Raleigh there are a few selections, each of which offers a different perspective to the handyman. Max thinks he's handy but there are those that say he is better at removing the old than putting up the new. Some people just don't have enough patience.

Let's say you are looking to do a little work around the house and you know what you want but you don't know where to get it.

You could start your search at the family owned:

Briggs Hardware Store (since 1865)
2533 Atlantic Ave (corner of Atlantic Ave. and Six Forks Rd.)
Raleigh, NC
(919) 832-2025

Briggs Hardware was originally in the historic Briggs Building in downtown Raleigh. About twenty years ago the current location was added as a satellite store. At least one owner, who also works in their new country store at the same location, is a fifth generation Briggs. Evelyn Briggs Murray is one of the people that make the store a first good choice if you live in North Raleigh.

This store has changed with the times, with more remodeling supplies and fewer of the odd tools that sometimes defy explanation. The prices are generally competitive and to their credit you will still find some tools and supplies that are unique in NC.

For general supplies for nearly any common household the handy man or woman will find what they need.

The new Country Store, which is also a satellite store for Angus Barn products, adds a unique flavor. Among other things it contains a display of tools that would have been sold at the original store when it opened in 1865.

Briggs Hardware has a history of supporting charitable causes that Max likes. The owner shares a survival story with Max's wife.

Another nearby choice for the handyman:

Ace Hardware
6196 Falls Of Neuse Rd # 100 (on the right going south from Spring Forest Rd)
Raleigh , NC 27609

(919) 790-8832

The local Ace Hardware store is a well stocked store with a staff of good people who are always ready to help. The front of this store will greet the handy person with a plethora of in-season flowers.

The store is organized by numbered aisles and there always to always be someone asking you if you need assistance. Max probably looks like that. The selection is generally good with at least one of everything. The prices tend to be a little higher than a box store but the store is in the neighborhood.

The store is part of a chain, yet it does offer a few amenities to give it a local feeling. In the summer they offer a very inexpensive hot dog roast that attracts many families from the neighborhood. They offer free popcorn to store patrons that can be eaten in the store as you browse.

The selection of tools for the handy person for painting, woodworking, repairing and gardening is very complete. This is a very nice place to shop and to visit. As a chain they are a little less flexible than the small owner in the store shop.

A local big box option is:

Lowes
4601 Capital Blvd
Raleigh , NC 27604

Tel: (919) 850-9300

Lowes is a North Carolina home store similar to Home Depot. There is a grocery chain of the same name.

This is a big box store with huge, wide aisles containing every tool and widget a handy person or a contractor can imagine. The selection is wonderful. The size means that one thing the handyman needs will be on one aisle and the other part of the same thing, like the necessary tool, may be a half mile walk to another aisle. Trying to find someone to help you is significantly more difficult than in the smaller stores.

On Max's last visit, he talked to four people who worked at the store but were unfamiliar with the part of the store Max was in. It took Max nearly an hour to find someone willing to sell the items he had selected.

The store uses a lot of contractors to install items sold in the store. This is a downside as many of the people cannot explain how the items they are selling work according to Max's personal experiences. Max's wife claims that his questions may just be too detailed for most people.

Max writes on items of interest to the people of North Raleigh including greenways, shopping, holidays, places to eat and things for families to do.

Link one is on a related article on 1865 Briggs Country Store.