Best of Boston

Best Hardware

2012 Best Hardware

Dickson Brothers True Value

Cambridge
This Harvard Square institution is 50 years old, and thankfully still has creaky floors, ancient fluorescent lights, and friendly handy types who'll steer you to [...] read more»
2011 Best Hardware

Charles Street Supply Company

Boston
This 63-year-old landmark reminds us of a time before hardware superstores—no orange-aproned "sales associates" hawking vinyl siding while you search for a lockset. Petite and [...] read more»
2008 Best Hardware

Swartz True Value

Newton
More than a century of know-how emanates from this suburban institution, founded by Michael Swartz's immigrant grandparents in 1890 and eventually passed down the line [...] read more»
2007 Best Hardware

Charles Street Supply Company

Boston
If you've got the project, they've got the product: More than 24,000 home-maintenance tools and supplies cram the shelves at this emporium of all things [...] read more»
2006 Best Hardware

Yumont Hardware

Jamaica Plain
So it's one-tenth the size of a Lowe's. So what? Yumont still has everything a do-it-yourselfer needs: nuts, bolts, bulbs, paint, showerheads, lawn care. All [...] read more»
2005 Best Hardware

Charles Street Supply

Boston
This 57-year-old landmark recalls a time before superstores and strip malls. Its amiable staff can help you sort through the somewhat chaotic arrangement of wares, [...] read more»
2004 Best Hardware

Dickson Brothers

Cambridge
The most popular institutions in Harvard Square have a way of disappearing (can you say Tasty Diner?) but Dickson Brothers is still hawking hardware after [...] read more»
2003 Best Hardware

Period Furniture Hardware

Boston
The densely packed display racks at this Beacon Hill cubbyhole offer one-stop shopping for rarefied brass, chrome, porcelain, and glass—knobs, pulls, hooks, hangers, rods, and [...] read more»
1997 Best Hardware

Hardware Outlet

Boston
This hole-in-the-wall looks like a cross between Bob Vila's garage and a grungy New York apartment. With enough searching, you'll find anything from drill bits [...] read more»
1996 Best Hardware, Helpful

Model Hardware

Allston
An inventory to match the superstores, backed by a helpful and friendly staff. Owner Bob Weber is on hand five days a week to show [...] read more»