The traditional hardware store could be seen as a modern form of a general store. While most hardware stores no longer sell feed for animals and refrigerated foods for humans, they still retain a well-rounded inventory that sometimes offers a lot more than a big home improvement center. Home improvement centers tend to focus on structures and some maintenance, but traditional hardware stores often have more goods for everyday living as well. Depending on what you're looking for, you may find a better selection for what you need at a smaller hardware store instead of those home improvement centers and big box stores.
A Larger Gardening Supply Section That Isn't Mainly Plants
If you can't get to a nursery or an actual garden-only center, a hardware store may be what you want. Home improvement stores and big box stores all have large garden centers attached, of course, but most of that space is taken up by plants. What if you need non-plant supplies, like stakes and clips, or hard-to-find plant food? You may actually want to look in a hardware store. Local stores may have a more eclectic supply that features less-common plant foods and garden tools.
A More Extensive Pest Control Section
Most home improvement and big box stores will have pest control sections. But hardware stores often carry smaller brands that the staff is familiar with that may not be promoted in home improvement centers. As DIY pest control technology is always improving, find a few products you're curious about and ask hardware staff if they've used them. You could find some bug-fighting gems that haven't made it into the more mainstream stores yet.
A More Varied Home Goods Section
If you'd assumed that a hardware store is mainly about tools, you'd be forgiven; tools and traditional hardware like screws, bolts, piping, and so on do make up the bulk of what the store sells. But hardware stores, as opposed to home improvement centers, also tend to offer more home goods such as kitchenware and canning supplies. This has changed a bit as most stores offer a lot of online shopping now; technically, you could buy a bunch of kitchenware and canning supplies from a home improvement store if you were willing to have them shipped from a remote warehouse instead of seeing models in person. But if you want those in-person displays that you can pick up and inspect, a traditional hardware store that serves a neighborhood is more likely to have those on the shelf.
Find the hardware stores in your area and make a day of it; go to some of them and just browse. Decide which ones would be better for different needs because you may find one or two of them quickly becoming regular stops on shopping trips.
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