Garber Hardware

Profile

Since they began selling linseed oil and water-well equipment to Manhattanites in 1884, Garber Hardware has been something of a neighborhood institution. Even today, the West Village family operation is a league apart from most hardware stores, stretching the very concept: Where else could New Yorkers find American Psycho–sized axes alongside shrimp peelers, skateboard helmets, and ten-pound sacks of dry manure? The clientele is as diverse as the goods — ranging from local fixer-upper-owners to paint-splattered professionals, all rubbing shoulders amid the grill equipment, electrical supplies, and kitchenware in the store’s main warehouse-style showroom. A separate room to the left holds the more heavy-duty stuff: Quikrete, steel plating, and an impressive palette of General Coatings paints. The sales force is happy to help guide shoppers and lend a hand with the haul at the store’s own street-side loading dock. — Alex Littlefield