Hardwick’s – a good ol’ fashioned hardware store

We are lucky enough to live within biking distance to Hardwick’s.

“Hardwick’s is a family-owned and operated hardware store located in the heart of the University District in Seattle, Washington. Passed down through three generations, Hardwick’s is rich in family tradition. Grandfather Charles Dean Hardwick established the business as a secondhand store in 1932 after he lost his real estate company in the market crash. Starting with his own office furniture as the original inventory, Grandfather Hardwick’s business continued to thrive in the Depression era by including factory seconds and damaged freight from the Milwaukee Road and Union Pacific Railroad and by purchasing goods from the public….”

The other day, we needed a few hardwarish things and have long given up on Home Depot, so we hopped on the Xtras and went to Hardwick’s. Our 4 year old is one of those tool-nut kids. The boy loves machines and tools and anything related to machines and tools so we knew he’d love Hardwick’s. He also has a tendency to break things so we thought it best to wait until he was old enough to take him there since it’s crammed with useful stuff in very narrow aisles and has lots of glass cases etc. The place is amazing.

We had a great time – we got what we needed, Tim dropped a few hints, nothing got broken and our son was awestruck by the experience. Kid quote from the outing, “Those are the kind of axes they use to dig up dinosaurs. I think”

Plus they had two open bike racks right out front. Apparently Hardwick’s shoppers like to get there by bike!
Good times.

– Anne