It was roughly 10 years ago that I bought my house and I remember one of the first thing people would ask me about was what my summer project would be on my home. I thought that concept was fairly laughable. I had zero experience and more importantly zero skills at fixing up things around the house. I felt confident that I could paint the house and if a light bulb went out, I could change that also. Beyond that…the only possible solution was to call in a professional.
That all changed when a friend bought me TIVO as a wedding gift. It was back before all the wireless technology was common in a home and it needed a phone connection. I promptly went out to the closest Big Box hardware store told them about my situation. They explained to me how to create a new phone port in my home for the TIVO. The project was an absolute disaster…what should have taken an hour resulted in 2 days worth of work, 2 days without phone service (based on some not so good advice at the big box which had me cut my main phone line), a hole in my ceiling, and 2 days of intense frustration in the heat of my attic…but I was hooked but scarred. I swore I would never shop at that first store again and there would be no more projects. Only one of those two items stuck…I have not shopped at that store again!
Slowly I started taking on more and more complex projects up to the point where I ripped the vanity out of my bath room, cut the pipes and installed a new one vanity. That was by far the scariest and most exciting challenge I took on. Over the years I have done a lot of complicated things like this, but their success was all due to two things: 1) An amazingly patient wife, and 2) The expert advice of a local hardware store.
There are lots of great local hardware stores in our city. Just drive up Keystone and you will come to two of them. There is Hedlund Hardware at 62nd & Keystone and Sullivan’s Hardware at 69th & Keystone. My home base is the Fishers Do-It-Center just north of 116th & Allisonville Road. I don’t think most people consider these smaller stores as their first option because they think….I need to go to the big box store where they already have everything waiting for me. The smaller places typically have just as big of a selection, you just may need to order it as opposed to being able to take it home that day. What I find to be absolutely superior at the local hardware stores is the customer service and deep knowledge of the projects. In Fishers, when I walk in I am greeted by name (as is my dog Blake, it is his favorite store also). It doesn’t matter who I am dealing with, they will patiently walk me through everything I need to know about installing pegboard or fixing a leak in a toilet. I have never left with bad advice. I have also never left with advice I didn’t understand. They draw me pictures, show me examples and will make sure that I know what I am doing before I leave.
My mom told me when I moved to a new city I needed to find a car mechanic and a dry cleaner. When I talk to people I tell them they need to find a local hardware store to help them through all the surprises they will encounter with their homes.
David is not originally a Hoosier; he grew up in Ohio and always dreamed of moving west. He’s living the dream in Indianapolis (just a few states short of the ocean front property he once dreamed of!). A born-again environmentalist and always playing tourist in his home city, he’s constantly seeking out hidden gems around Indianapolis. When he isn’t planting a tree or checking out the latest show on Mass Ave, he is spending time with his dog Blake and wife Maureen. Connect with David on Twitter: @Feiney
