So they actually didn't have what I was looking for. So why four stars? Because Ken Monroe, Millwork guy there helped me find what I needed elsewhere. Old school helpful. And the kind of service that means from now on I'll be buying every gallon of paint, every 'honeydo' bolt, every bag of grass seed (which I will immediately kill) from the Building Center. Seriously, every business needs more guys like Ken. read more

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!! WARNING Do not buy anything here. They oversell and use deceptive practices and they do not stand behind their products. Replacement cabinets came in the same or worse condition. Damaged cabinets, separating paint, dents, peeling paint. Stay as far away from The Building Center as possible. read more

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I have had enough of hearing Ron's name in reference to my friends kitchen remodel! The service provided by this company diminished drastically once the invoice was paid. My friend received the incorrect doors, damaged cabinets and some that came in the incorrect color. The replacement pieces came damaged and sized incorrectly as well. Ron's resolution for this was to send a painter out to try to repair some of the damage leaving brand new expensive cabinets with color differences!!! In the end, after a year of dealing with this my friend has been offered a refund of less than 20% of what she paid. DO NOT give this company your money unless you want factory second cabinets. read more

I have a complaint that you guys can;t seem to figure out what your hours are. Right now, the website says "open" and lists weekday hours as closing at 5:00. So I take a 20 minute trip and I get there at 4:30 and they are closing the gate and refuse to serve me. If you are closing at 4:30 - say so! This has happened several times now. Is it that hard to set hours online that are real? read more

Absolutely horrible experience! They do not stand behind the products they sell, I'm left with broken and dented kitchen cabinets, my client is extremely upset and they do nothing !! $17,000 wasted on a new kitchen that's falling apart! read more

Every business would prosper if they had more Barbara's! I enjoy shopping the Building Center of Gloucester, especially their gift shop! Everyone is friendly and always helpful. During the Christmas season I was looking for a tree for my office and much to my delight I found exactly what I wanted for both my office and home deck! These trees were amazing...my dilemma was how would I get them to my office and home deck? I was instructed to go inside and met Barbara in Contractor Sales. Wow, Barbara was wonderful - so pleasant, knowledgeable, helpful and I really enjoyed our conversation. She assisted me with my delivery...and my husband was eternally grateful! So this week when I was needing soil and mulch, my choice was EZ and I drove right to the Building Center of Gloucester where Barbara helped arrange my deliveries again! Barbara and the Building Center, thanks so much for all your help - truly appreciated and it makes you feel great when you are welcome! read more

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This company has been taking advantage and gouging Gloucester residents for decades with ridiculously inflated prices on everything... Then they used the pandemic as an excuse to jack their prices even further when their costs had not increased... The city wants people to buy local to help the city's economy...but you can't because of companies like this jacking their prices out of pure greed... read more

Mike Davis goes the extra mile- SUPER STAR CUSTOMER SERIVCE! Not only did he take the time to explain how to patch a hole in my wall, he also took the time to pick out the materials so that I didn't spend a fortune. He gave me tips on what to do and how to avoid cracking the dry wall. He even was going to let me borrow a tool to finish the job because I lived close enough to return it. The man has a great personality and super helpful! The Building Center is lucky to have him on as the Manager of the lumber yard. read more

Great service and selection for a medium sized store! The employees have always been really helpful and they have had everything I need (thus far-- but I am no handy man). The prices are fair to high. They even cut your wood for you if you want! But don't expect it to be too precise, they tend to be off a bit - but if its for something that doesn't matter too much (for instance for me, I was cutting stakes for a raised garden bed) it definitely saves the time and energy of doing it yourself! read more

This place is vastly overpriced and has barely any selection but the free popcorn tastes okay. I went there for a small spotlight bulb and it was $11.00. Then, no employees seemed to know if it was dimmable. Finally a manager knew the answer, after 2 people came up clueless. If you've got such a paucity of product one would think you'd at least be knowledgeable about what you have in the store. I guess that's what happens when you are the only game in town. read more

Great customer service. Ken went out of his way to help me figure out a small but pretty complicated project. Thank you!

Is it a little pricey? Maybe, but just a little, but lets face it, what small hardware store isn't. Superconvenient, easy parking, drive in lumber yard is awesome. Their lumber is high quality, not the big box store junk. Im usually asked if I need any help when I'm in the store, and free popcorn. Love the place. read more

Shout out to Joe in the paint area! He makes my day every time, and always goes the extra mile for a customer!

Experience started out great when they wanted my business but was all downhill from there! I purchased "semi" custom cabinets from Ron and he indicated that delivery time was only 3-4 weeks. This was in July/August 2020 and still do not have final resolution from the ordeal that has ensued for the last year. There was one issue after another and at some point "Covid" can not be blamed for their poor customer service and follow up to the manufacturer that they recommended and sell as quality cabinets. My contractor worked endlessly to help resolve the issues with them but once they had my money in hand I feel like they didn't care. So to be clear, I get delays due to COVID but this is totally unreasonable. I received at least 5 deliveries (I lost count) of cabinets over many months time that were flawed and damaged including them sending the wrong color on some that clearly should have been caught when Ron personally inspected the shipping and assured all looked good! My contractor spent numerous hours trying to piece together what was usable. Their last attempt was to bring out a paint specialist to try to correct the flaws which after an entire day did not fix the issue and in some cases made it look worse. Now Tim who is supposed to be the man in charge is only offering a small refund off the order to make me go away! I have had nearly a year of stress ad anxiety and over 8 weeks of no kitchen use on top of all the issues. Ron even claimed they are ONLY semi-custom so I should expect some defect...NO! I did not buy factory seconds Ron...If I wanted factory seconds I would have shopped for those and not spent $17K. I could have gotten better cabinets at Lowe's or Home Depot then what they sell in their showroom for a lot less. If there are issues with a vendor, don't use them and sell them to a single mother that saved up to upgrade her kitchen then try to brush it off and treat me like I don't exist in this ordeal. Tim and Ron are accountable for what they sell. And as for the manufacturer...Wellborn Forest...YOU are my next review!!! read more

I like the hardware and lumber specialists at BC. They know what they are talking about + they are helpful. When you get to the counter (and especially during the summer) you get these teens, or young college girls with crappy attitudes working the cash register. No people skills and prissy. Done with these guys 2013. Have always tried to support local businesses, but when they changes management, dumped loyal workers and don't answer customer requests for clarity - it's a clear sign to bugger off. Will be shopping at ACE/ Home Depot, or Lowes where they don't penny-ante stuff like the return of defective products. read more

I go to the Building Center out of desperation if I am in the middle of a project, can't find what I need at Ace Hardware in Rockport and don't want to take the time to drive off Cape Ann. I am invariably disappointed. The employees are the most unhelpful lot I have ever seen, unwilling to walk down the aisle to help you find anything and their most common answer is "I don't know" or "the person who would know is out at lunch" (regardless of time of day). If you know exactly what you need, you might find it. If you have any questions about how to use it, need help deciding between various options or would like information on what's the best thing to use to fix a problem - go somewhere else. read more

I don't know why I still go here. The workers ignore you as you wander around, never asking if you need help--at least the men do that as they lounge around the popcorn maker chatting. And would management please fix the freaking check out machines that do not take a signature. Even the cashiers say they've told management abut the problem and they do nothing. I'll go to the Rockport Tru Value where they are far more helpful. read more

the service needs improvement, but the items are usually there and not too pricey. GREAT parking read more

pricey, but good customer service their lumber area is good and i've always found the check-out staff to be friendly and efficient but yes, they need a new front-end system for sure. they have free popcorn. whenever i'm wandering around looking lost i've always been asked if i need help finding something. on the island there are few choices for hardware so this fills the bill in a pinch. read more

I've always enjoyed shopping here, good, knowledgeable staff, but recently found out they no longer offer free delivery, not even in town! This was definitely a perk which I greatly appreciated. Was even more disappointed that it cost $25!! Outrageous. read more

Wanted to buy a garden hose at the Essex store. Hoses are out on the porch, none with prices. I went in and asked the young man behind the counter what the prices are on the 3 hoses they have outside. He tells me to go get them and bring them in so he can tell me the price. I turned around and walked out. Ace hardware and even Home Depot have smarter and friendlier assistants. I used to think it was good to use local businesses but it's not worth it after that disappointing encounter. read more

I still stop in here sometimes if I need a small thing and am nearby, but am so glad there is another hardware store in town. This is not my first choice, primarily due to the aloof attitude of several of the employees. read more

The BC is my preferred hardware store! They have a great selection and a friendly staff ready to help!!

This is for the Essex location. Horrible customer service. I walked in, two employees sitting there (one on the computer) said absolutely nothing as I walked in. Finally went to the cashier after walking around looking for a few items which I could not find. I asked my first question, about purchasing a pvc pipe and having them cut it for me. The girl who worked there said she did not know if they would cut it, she asked the male working there (still staring at the computer, could not even look be bothered to look up from the screen), told her to radio someone else to ask them. Whoever she contacted said they did not usually do that (which was not true...I bought two pvc pipes there a little over a year ago, the employee was more than happy to cut them, brought them to my car, was helpful). I told them forget it, I would go to Home Depot as I knew they would cut them for me, the guy finally acknowledged me, (still not looking up from his screen) and said go ahead! Could not have cared less about losing a customer. Unbelievable. I live in Essex and will never again step foot in or recommend this place to anyone. It's too bad they can't even attempt to be friendly and helpful to local customers, no wonder I was the only customer there on a Saturday morning (By the way, went to Home Depot, they gladly helped me, were friendly and nice!) read more