1. City Mill

    1. City Mill

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    Honolulu, HI

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    City Mill

    3.4 (100 reviews)
    ModerateHardware Stores
    Open 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    Jo Y.

    The City Mill stores are locally owned home improvement stores located on Oahu. Founded in 1899 by Chun Kun Ai, there are presently 8 locations: Honolulu, Kaimuki, HI Kai, Kaneohe, Mililani, Pearl City, Waianae, and Ewa Beach. Chung Kun Ai was its president until 1961; then his youngest son, David managed it until 1991; and now David's son, Steven, serves as President and Chairman, assisted by his sister, Carol Ai May. City Mill HI Kai opened in 1993. It currently sells furniture, lumber, building materials, key making, propane refill, paint, jalousie cutting, electrical, tools, plumbing, window screen service, and more. How did it get its name? Prior to WWII, Chung Kun Ai owned the only rice mill in HNL and the largest in HI; hence, the name City Mill. After the war, City Mill focused mainly construction materials, but kept its name. While it cannot compare with the size of the big box retailer hardware stores and may be a little more in cost, we shop at city Mill due to the following reasons: * Local expertise and service. Their staff is friendly and knowledgeable with the local unique needs and can offer advice and guidance on projects that must meet local building codes. While there were periods of staff shortages during and after Covid, we've found staff in their red aprons to be very helpful. For specialized projects and making of keys, hubby tends to ask older employees or seasoned workers, as they seem to know more and appear to focus on details. And when I was browsing through the aisles, several red-apron dressed staffed asked if I needed any help. Nice! * Community focus. City Mill partners with local community organizations and provides donations based on request. Via the Chung Kun Ai Foundation City Mill has given back to University of HI agricultural programs, Palama Settlement, Food Bank, churches, scholarships, and more. * Convenient locations. With 8 stores across Oahu, City Mill offers convenient access for residents and saves time and gas to having to commute to the big box retailers. * Curated selection. While City Mill's inventory is not as diverse and expansive as the big box retailers, its product selection is carefully chosen to meet the needs of homeowners. If you're undecided on what you're looking for, it's a good starting place to see what is available. They even have educational toys and inflatable pools (seasonal). City Mill also carries some of the home storage containers and kitchenware that new venture that the Ai Family started called Simply Organized in Kahala Mall. The layout of the store is well organized. * In-store pick up and delivery. Online ordering with in-store pickup and delivery make it easier to get its product. They also use the latest technology to track their inventory. * Community events. City Mill's Facebook page features events and promotions that highlight their products and connect with the local community. There are garden expos for demos and meet vendors, Father's Day Keiki workshop, anniversary specials, how-to workshops, product expos, hurricane preparedness, and more. * Energy efficiency focus. City Mill has partners with HI Energy to promote energy-saving products and rebates, such as water-saving tips. Hours of operation are daily from 7a to 7p. Located in the ewa end of HI Kai Towne Center anchored by Costco, Ross Dress for Less, and McDonalds, lots of free parking available that are shared by its tenants. As City Mill is by itself, parking is always available, esp when you have to purchase bulky items. You can use a separate exit when purchasing garden supplies or lumber. It is assuring to have a City Mill a couple of miles from my home! No need to spend unnecessary time and gas to drive to town to a big box retailer! And with helpful customer service, City Mill provides us with our home improvement needs. Support local!

    Jerry E.

    Very convenient place to pick up home improvement or DIY project materials in East Honolulu, Hawaii Kai area, but I was hard to find staff members to help out. Also, with one of the two checkout out counters operating, one can expect long wait to checkout when other customers making too many purchases

    Laurie Y.

    Whenever i go to Costco, i stop at City Mill in Hawaii Kai! It's a nice big store, not too crowded and lots of plants! The staff is very nice and friendly! Whenever i have a question, they're very helpful! Look at the Christmas 50% off already! Bought some nice heavy sushi magnets and Chinese take out containers ornaments with chopsticks!

    They reorganized the gardening section, shade plants now inside
    Therese H.

    Our neighborhood hardware and gardening store, we try to support this local business as much as possible, even though prices are sometimes higher than the big box stores. They have a great selection of tropical design carpets, and cheap(ish) furniture. Plant vendors drop off Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you can occasionally find some hard-to-find treasures like Princess Michiko hibiscus. They also have a great selection of plants native to Hawaii.

    Fran C.

    Honestly, as much as I like DEALAGES with the big box hardware stores like - Home Depot & Lowes, City Mill will always be my favorite local hardware store! Locally owned & operated, I find most of the City Mill locations to be very convenient for me, as they carry an array of hardware items to meet your needs for home improvement, or work tools (which I mainly came here for). The thing I like about City Mill is if you don't know how to do something, normally if I flag down a floor clerk, I find the floor clerks to be very knowledgeable & helpful in answering my questions. Recently, I was working on some banking equipment in the Hawaii Kai Towne Center area and needed a tool, & some lubricant. Lucky for me that City Mill had a store in the Hawaii Kai Towne Center mall! Parking here is plentiful, and the City Mill store is well stocked & organized. If you need to get something done, don't hesitate to stop by this City Mill store, as I can guarantee that you'll probably find what you need to make your repair easy, and less stressful.

    Feb W.

    Impressed with how this location looks bigger. But at the same time, they need to fill in the stocks too! We are just here for nails & washers. Goodness we found them by the help of the staffs working in here. They were helpful & at the same time friendly. Bandit even bought a new sunglass & is so happy for his purchase. The good thing is that, this location wasn't that busy when we went here. Easy going in & out. Social distancing is imposed as well. They got plenty of Christmas tree from different sizes in here too. Pretty cool. Few Christmas ornaments though so do not expect to have lots of choices. This location is conveniently located in Hawaii Kai Towne Center where most everything is located in one area. I'd be glad to come back in here if I need something for improvements if happen to be in this area. Mahalo & happy juandering fellow yelpers!

    Julie U.

    With Covid, I am spending lots more time in the yard and fixing little things about the house. On recent trips to Hawaii Kai City Mill it appears that everyone else is too. The store was crowded but people kept their distance and the shop has modified their checkout area with floor markings to space you out and plexiglass shields. I have always liked this location and find it well stocked. Last week I went to the main City Mill on Nimitz but found that Hawaii Kai has much better selection on plants. I also like their housewares section that has the best oil container (now that I am buying huge jars of olive oil from Costco.) It's in Hawaii Kai Towne Center so lots of parking.

    Nice plant selection.

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    12 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    4 months ago

    Turn on the lights or supply flashlights, come on besides the safety hazard. Service, selection, value fix your lighting problem

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Convenient, nice supply, friendly help, good selection for tools, parts, etc. Easy parking

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Our main hardware store in the area. Love this place. Staff is still down to earth. Always go here at least once a week.

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    Review Highlights - City Mill

    With Covid, I am spending lots more time in the yard and fixing little things about the house.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Industrial Hardware Hawaii

    Industrial Hardware Hawaii

    4.0
    (4 reviews)
    12.7 mi

    I have been looking for 3in washers forever and My husband finally found them here! They were fast…read moreand efficient and we couldn't ask for better service. We went up to a service window, told the worker what we wanted, and he went to get it. It's been so stressful trying to find these washer everywhere else but this was nice and easy. Thank you!

    My rating would be -5 stars, my over the phone experience was horrible! Called business to find out…read moreif they had a item that I needed person by the name or Ariel answered, I tried to provide him with the SKU number they had listed on their website so it would link it to the correct item, He said I need the description I cant pull it up by that SKU number, I asked wouldn't a SKU number be more efficient? he started to get upset, So I asked for a Manager on duty. Manager Maryann picked up the phone I tried to ask her the same question about the item I was looking for she had the same rude attitude not willing to address my concern nor providing me with any customer service. I asked Maryann to speak to the GM, She told me to call back at 7:30 and then hung up the phone not providing me with information on what I called the store for. Called the following morning to speak to the GM and Maryann had picked up and said he is not in and don't know when he will be in, so I had asked her, why did you tell me to call at 7:30am to speak to the GM she replied " are you calling to make trouble? your a trouble maker! stop making trouble you GIRL!" and hung up. This is not how any customer should be treated at all, I hope that Mike Cunningham the president and CEO of this store takes this kind of treatment from his staff towards possible customer's serious.

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    Industrial Hardware Hawaii

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    Home Depot

    Home Depot

    3.0
    (684 reviews)
    10.6 mi
    $$

    Great selection of much needed items for home improvement and that never ending Honey Due List!…read moreFriendly informative Employees a great value with seasonable sales. Value in shopping around to find those must have items. Military Discount seals the deal for me!

    Shout out to Kayli for all her help last night…read more So the other day I was cooking dinner for my dad & when I went into his refrigerator, I noticed it didn't seem that cold? But when I checked the freezer, it appeared that it was working properly. I asked my dad if the fridge was okay? And he in turned told me that it was, so I really didn't think anything more of it. Several days later, after shopping for some food for my dad, when I was putting some produce items into his fridge, I again asked him if the refrigerator was okay, then he finally told me "maybe something was wrong". I rechecked the settings on the refrigerator, rechecked the vents from the freezer, seals on the door, and everything appeared to be okay. Being that my dad's refrigerator was 11 years old (I remembered buying it in 2014), I guess it was time for a replacement. Luckily for me, November has rolled around and since a lot of folks will be feasting towards the end of November, "Black Friday" sales have started & Home Depot has their big "Black Friday" sales event for the entire month of November. At first I went to Best Buy, because I purchased the refrigerator & stove from there back in 2014, but upon arriving there, I couldn't get any help so I left the store & headed across the street to Home Depot. Upon lookin' at the fridges, I found a fridge that would fit in my dad's kitchen space & looked for a clerk to help me. Luckily I came across Kayli, and she was so helpful in processing my transaction. Timing was just right for me, as the delivery of the refrigerator was FREE due to the Black Friday sales, and I only had to pay $50 bucks for the removal of the old refrigerator. The refrigerator I purchased was in stock, so Saturday they will deliver it to our house. How's that for great service???!!! Much MAHALO Home Depot, and Kayli! You really helped us out of jam, as I realky needed a running refrigerator, especially since Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

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    Whoop there it was!
    Whoop there it was!
    $12.98 on 4.10.25
    $12.98 on 4.10.25
    Hibiscus which I had to treat for mealy bugs

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    Hibiscus which I had to treat for mealy bugs

    City Mill - hardware - Updated July 2026

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