Always fun to explore city mill - has all kind of things from furniture to tools to useful items

A month ago, my wife and I moved to Waikiki from Hilo. We're both in our 60's. I got hit by a truck 16yrs ago and came out of a coma a week later with a traumatic brain injury... disabled but breathing and happy. My wife's dealing with cancer and kidney disease. ...And we moved here and sold our car and doing a lot of walking. For 10 years, I've seen the City Mill ads on TV.... but no City Mill on the Big Island. Today, I walked the 2miles to City Mill, then enjoyed an hour shopping and getting all kinds of help. 5stars for these guys. The first thing I picked up was a yellow bucket, priced at 9.99, and then I tossed everything else I was buying in the bucket. With joy, I came to the register, where the lady rang up the bucket at 13.99. Wait, no, 9.99 I said. No help from cashier, so I went to the bucket display w/signage: red bucket, 9.99, yellow bucket, 9.99. Cashier felt powerless. Let's don't fight over $4. Correct your labeling. Charge me 9.99, and let's get on w/our day. Oh no... manager comes over, and looks at display w/two employees. The 9.99 buckets are the ones not there... obvious to manager and employees. I was supposed to know the price tag posted next to the buckets was not the price of the buckets. Confused, yet? Instead of agreeing that the labeling is currently confusing for this disabled old man, and, duh, eat $4 and earn a customer, the manager was cold and awful. To conclude, 60 minutes of fun with helpful employees, who worked with my disability, and then 5 minutes of hell from a hateful dictator boss. I told stupid hater I'm disabled, and that crappy service stories get told 10 times more often than nice ones, so here's my first telling. Store is great. Service is great. Management is stupidly short-sighted. read more

The employee in plumbing really knew his stuff. Saved me a lot of headaches and wrong parts.

Great customer service! Although I went in close to the closing time and very last minute, Destiny helped me cutting a piece of lumber with such a pleasant attitude. She was willing to help and I really appreciate customer service like this. I will definitely go back. Thank you Destiny! read more

Home Remodel Review Challenge #1: I have been up to my waist (literally) in home renovations these past 16 weeks. It all started with new home ownership in June (clap clap clap), then demo, and finally a complete home makeover that's still going to present day. We did it ALL, from floor to ceiling: Asbestos popcorn removal. Porcelain tile. Vinyl laminate. Carpeting. Granite countertops. Stair banisters. Kitchen cabinets. Painting. Electrical. Plumbing. So not only was this hands down the most labor intense four months of my life, but boy does it offer an abundance of material to review! Yelpers unite! This is my story... and I'm starting from Day One. If you are the DIY homeowner like me and the vast majority of locals who lack infinite bankroll, you wanna find your materials at stores where quality, variety, price, and convenience are balanced. City Mill (CM) opened over 115 years ago by the Ai family, and is still being run by their grandchildren Steven and Carol Ai. Parking entry is on both Waialae Avenue and St. Louis Drive. They've maintained that same local feel, while keeping up with the times and ever-changing market. By no means is it your one-stop shop for fanciful selection, but it carries fundamentals for most hardware needs. CM definitely proved its worth when our contractors needed that "something", NOW. Coupler for refrigerator water line? Check. Running low on painters tape? Got it. Air gap 7/8" ID hose? You betcha. The convenience factor was big; only three minutes up the street from our place, versus trekking 20 minutes to Iwilei for the bigger competitors. Selection may be limited, so use your best judgment which place to tackle for the work you're doing. If you need a reciprocating saw, they'll have it. If you want a wide variety of lighting fixtures, there are other places that would have the space and inventory to suit your needs. But don't discount them for furniture just yet. They got tons of beautiful lanai decor, chairs, and office desks that's worth a peek. Pricing seemed slightly higher than Home Depot and Lowes in some aspects, but well worth the ease of hopping in the car for a tuck and roll. Customer service is consistent and pleasant (back to the mom and pops feel!). I definitely had more difficulty finding help at larger hardware stores during "contractor rush hour" than at CM. Geoffrey is a pleasant chap who helped us find spline and jalousie sizes for our windows. Thomas knew his paint types, explaining brands and pricing with confidence. Andrew was professional and rung us up with consistently exceptional service. Thank you City Mill for fulfilling my home improvement needs! read more

Angel was super helpful. My sister and I were in the store looking for stuff to fix a leak. I Googled the supplies and instructions. LOL. Angel found us wandering the aisles, probably knew we were lost and offered to help. You honestly do not get that kind of help at any other store. Anyways Angel showed us where we could find our supplies, even made sure the product we were buying was not expired and gave us tips on how to us it. My sister and I are trying to start an herb garden so we'll definitely be back to City Mill. Definitely hope everyone else is as helpful as Angel. read more

Went to the store to get a piece of wood an have it cut. Arrived at 5:00 and asked a cashier who I would ask to get the piece of wood and have it cut. She called for someone named Greg to come out and assist. Nobody came out to help and then someone came out to assist another gentleman. I was told that was Greg. After he finished with the tank for the other customer he spoke to the cashier and walked right by me and I was told to try to catch him because he wasn't listening to her. When I went to the back he was assisting another customer. I waited 40 min and left without purchasing anything or getting assisted by anyone. Customer service should be the number one priority. read more

The old man when I walked in gave me attitude, I was trying to return he don't say where I had to go. I had to bite my tongue to be nice. I had some other things I need. He didn't have to give attitude!!!! read more

Although I feel City Mill is one of the smaller hardware stores with less items on hand then their counterparts, I always get very good service quickly. Customer service at City Mill can definitely help overcome the prices which may be a bit higher then other places that carry the same items. Their gardening supplies are plentiful and priced similar to their competitors. There is no reason not to go to City Mill for supplies and it's often the closest store no matter where you live. read more

Terrible customer service. Maybe to early in the morning on a Monday. Tried to get help with a product. I found that it wasn't on the floor they said they don't have it. Walked out and decided to check their website and it said they had 6 of them in stock. After going to 3 different works they finally said it was downstairs. Like I was supposed to get it. They the older gentleman said that he would get it. 2 heavy shelves they made him get it himself. 2 stars for him. 0 stars for the lead cashier and store overall. I like City Mill, but not this one. If you don't need help with anything this is the store for you. read more

Had to pick up some items for work on a short notice and this was the closest place to the site. Place is like a Ace Hardware store but with a Home Depot touch to it, it's also very limited to supplies and doesn't have a large selection for contractor needs. Wouldn't be coming here again and will make the drive to Home Depot on the other side of the island to get everything I need in one stop. read more

City Mill - Hardware Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Poor treatment by an old man in red vest at Kaimuki. I entered, with my backpack over my shoulder; immediately, "did you just walk in here with that backpack? - didn't the cashier have you check it?" It was abrupt and accusatory, much more than necessary. Simple pleasantries would have sufficed, "Sir, will you please check your backpack with the cashier" might have mollified the situation. This was the second time this decrepit geriatric had presented an attitude with me. Instead of relinquishing my backpack, which had equipment in it not available therein, I left, and will be heading to Kaimuki Ace Hardware just down the street from now on. At 62, I am not a poverty-stricken student from one of the plethora of nearby schools; with a quarter of a million-dollar net worth, I sure was not there to pilfer; but, it sure felt like he thought I was. read more

Best local handy man store. Close to home, friendly and usually has what I need. My first choice before heading to the national chain stores. Kaimuki location is great. read more

I was at city mill today to purchase screws for a wall mount and I had no idea what I was purchasing. I found a sale clerk who was extremely helpful and walked me through everything I needed and gave me various options with advantages and disadvantages. I bought 2 different type of screws with the advice of returning the ones that I don't use. Needless to say the screws that I bought worked like charm and my TV is wall mounted properly. I've understand the negative reviews left by previous customers but my experience here in this situation was really good. Will come back if I have any more home projects. read more

We've been coming to this store very frequently. When we were into renovation, this was our regular stops. They have good garden staff too. Selection and price are pretty good. Their return policy is great. Getting assistance: Just depends on the days, usually pretty good for us. Entrance: Waialae Avenue and St. Louis Drive. Parking: Pretty large, but when it's busy with some confused drivers, you might get stuck a bit. YELP 365 - 140/365 read more

My experiences here are always positive. They are locally owned and operated. Love that they are so close to home and are often open on holidays. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. They know what they carry and what they are out of stock on. Prices are competitive with other mainland chain hardware stores. I'll continue to shop city mill and support local as long as they have what we need. read more

City Mill is my go-to place for most of my hardware needs. In the last couple of years, they've implemented a website on which you can search what you're looking for. A helpful sidebar shows how many of them are available at stores all over the island. Yesterday, looking for a certain size tote box, I noticed that there were zero available except at the Iwilei location, which had 9. So I drove to Iwilei, only to be told that "a company" had put a hold on all 9 totes and I would have to walk out, empty handed. So much for the helpful sidebar! They did tell me that they own the Simply Organized store at Kahala Mall. So I stopped there and found the totes I needed. But instead of paying $11.99--the City Mill price--I was dinged for $15.99--I guess they have to pay that rent at Kahala Mall! boooo. hissss. read more

This is the worst place. Never fails. No one helps out. When I find someone they either say, ask someone else, not my department, I don't know or gives attitude. So sad. Ace hardware is a much better place. read more

Let me just say... the employees here are amazing!!! If you don't "have to" go to Home Depot or any other large corporations hardware store, you should be supporting local businesses! They will price match as well! The reason for this review, is because of the level of service I received at the Kaimuki location! I had purchased a a piece of furniture from City Mill. Paid the extra for installation, which was very reasonable. When unloading the piece at home, the cabinet door swung open and broke! I brought it straight back to the store, fully thinking I'm going to have to purchase a new one! They immediately did a complete return with me only having to pay for the installation! Well... let's just say... WOW!!! This pandemic, got everyone in a crunch... and well... they made me cry... I just picked up the new piece... and it's home safe!!! Don't go anywhere else for your hardware needs... City Mill Waialae is the BEST!!!! read more

Not a friendly place to shop. I Go there only because it's close to home. Good luck in finding someone to help you look for something. If you need help in loading your car the few times I asked they were busy. Lowes and Home Depot I can always get help from the staff even without asking. Went their today to buy lumber and have it cut. Employee was not friendly and not helpful. Made me feel uncomfortable being there. read more

City mill the best neighborhood hardware store ! All name brands for tools and great household stuff as well. Customer service is always great as well. And they have Price Matching! read more

I love this place! Had a few loose pieces on my bicycle, rode it over here as it's too hard to fit in my car. Walked in here and was immediately helped by Royce M., the man went out of his way to make sure I got the right parts and seeing the shape of my bike,... left and came back with a set of pliers and put it together for me! He said it was his technically his job. Outstanding. Thank you. They are a local business too! read more

City Mill - Royce M. thanks for making my bike safe to ride again! - Hardware Stores Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Went there looking for faucet grease for the basin faucet cartridge. Only saw one and it had a cancer warning on it. I tracked down an employee and first asked if he's the plumbing guy but he didn't say yes or no, just asked what I wanted. So I figured he has the knowledge, followed him back to the same spot. I was kinda hoping they had something else but he grabbed the same item off the pegboard. Just as he did, another customer had a question and he immediately helped him, and so handed me that same grease via backhand while which I found rude, so I just stood there waiting for him to at least face me. But he didn't and kept up with the backhand so I grabbed the thing and waited; I wasn't done and had questions. I had the new cartridge with me. I finally get to ask questions. 1) I point out the warning on the back, he ignored it; 2) I ask how to apply the grease as the rubber parts are in the water path, he made some swirly motions with his finger turned and walked away. WTF? 8 Well I needed the grease so I go home but then ask Google because I had second thoughts. Sure enough, that is not the correct one, wrong chemical base. It's only 4 bucks, who has time to make return trips? I should have just gotten it on Amazon like I did with the cartridge (they don't sell that either; kind of a useless department). Well on my next opportunity I go to refund it but unfortunately they don't have the refund section by the key shop anymore, you have to see one of their wonderful cashiers (I'm a guy and one of their guy cashiers hit on me and I assure you I'm no Brad Pitt). I try to say why I'm returning it but before I can finish my sentence about how they don't carry it, she cuts me off with "Okay-so-you're-returning-it" fast like that. Now I'm more pissed than when I first got there, angrily staring at this girl Brandi, while she demands (not asks) for info as she inputs on their screen. Mind you, I never heard one Please, Sorry about that, Thank you; to say nothing of getting a greeting or smile (not that she looked like the friendly type but I can't say it on here). Then I notice her Trainee badge. New employee and ALREADY treating customers like that. Now I see why people shop online anymore. I've been going to city mill since I was a kid. I thought things seemed worse here in the 21st century but thought it was my imagination. This was a new low. In spite of the great reviews from others (Brandi and her friends might put some up in response), it'll be a while before I bother shopping there again. Not being a big box store is their plus, but not like this. I also see why it's a lot of contractors shopping in there. If you need guidance, shop elsewhere. Yes I'm a newbie to yelp, have never complained but this was too much. I figured the manager would also be a character because it tends to be corporate culture (a front-line employee represents the entire company) so I didn't waste my time. It tends to propagate down from HR, screening, recruiting, training, yada yada yada. I used to work in retail too and although I don't have her looks I would have outperformed her by a factor of oh, say 100. Sorry for the length. I'm just glad I read the poison warning and hope you all do too. I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1 because the refund was processed somewhat timely and she didn't actually get wise with me. read more

Posted my review once, didn't show. I'll try again. This is a good store for homeowners that need to do simple repairs. A little pricier than HD or Lowe's, and limited in offerings, but if they're close, they're convenient. The workers are friendly. I was really disappointed with the birch plywood I got. Several dollars higher, and very cheaply made. Not even a plywood rating on them. Tried to use them, but the customer wasn't satisfied. Took the hit, picked up HD ply, and finished the job. Bottom line, if you need minor kine stuff, they'll work. But for ply, go big box or Ply Hawaii. read more

City Mill does not have the best prices among home improvement stores but they easily have the best customer service. Whenever I need a specific screw or nut and bolt, I always go to City Mill. They ALWAYS have the right size with the right diameter and correct pitch. Plus, I can buy it in any amount needed. If I couldn't find it myself, one of their associates always helped me find it and always seemed happy to help. They also have a good selection of pepper plants at this location and all their plants are healthy. I heard it's because the person that took care of the plants at the Star Market that was in Mo'ili'ili is the one taking care of the plants here. They also sell PVC pipes (for fishing spikes) in one foot increments which the other stores do not do. Their only downfall is that they offer a limited selection of wood/lumber (planks, studs, etc.). Probably because of the size of the stores. They also have the nicest cashiers and will have enough open that there's never a long wait. read more

This City Mill is located right next to UH Mānoa, St. Louis Drive-In, Franky Fresh Burgers, 7/11, Super Cuts, etc. The parking situation is freaked dumb as hell, who makes these damn parking lots?! I swear every time I come here I always think there's gona be a damn accident waiting to happen in front of me, surprisingly nothing happened yet. The customer service is good when its not busy, when its busy you're out of luck. The workers do not know how to multi-task when they're getting slammed, probably because they want to address every customers needs. I'm not trying to discriminate but the workers are super old and have a hard time multitasking as well. I wish the hours were longer, but they're long enough to suffice because it is located in a valley area, I feel like in valleys establishment's hours are kind of conservative. read more

I like the vibe of City Mill. Today, I had a woman cashier inform me that there was a bigger sized item (better value) as I was checking out. I didn't know. Anyway, rather than not informing me, and just charging me and sending me on my way like a robot would do, she kindly suggested that I go back and get the bigger ones. Thanks for your help! Mahalo. read more

came here to get some keys copied.. Gotta support local when i can!! They did the job easy worth the price!! wish I had gotten the UH keys though only 50 cents more!!! in and out in under 3 minutes. read more

Jordan the cashier last night probably the worst I've seen at City Mill ever. First of all, he calls me to the check out stand by saying "Hey! Ready!". Rings my light bulbs up and hands me my receipt. I asked if he ever says "thank you" when a customer purchases items?He says NO. Then another clerk with glasses butts in and says "it's kinda like when you go to a restaurant and you hold your girlfriends hand and you expect her to say thank you you're so sweet. It's unnecessary." Then he walks away. I ask if in training City Mill ever taught you to say thank you after a customer makes a purchase. He said, "nope, it was never in our training." Go see this guy, long hair, rings on his finger. Just a piece of work. An the other guy same thing. Who hires these morons? read more

PROS: Not home depot, but you can find just about anything ! CON: sometimes you can't find anyone to help, and some of the "older" works are rude read more

The City Mill on Waialae is my go-to hardware store. I never have to hunt for help. There's always patient and helpful staff available to guide me through the products I need for whatever home improvement project I'm working on. Today, Steve helped me buy and cut all the lumber necessary for my closet project. He walked me through all my options and the pros & cons of various products. He saved me a lot of time & repeat trips. Thank you Steve! read more

My bf and I came here to get a plug for our AC. We asked for help, and seriously everyone refuse to come help us. We did not know that every AC has a different size so we asked if they could help us match ours since our AC was literally in the car. Two workers refused and just walked away and another told us grab a ruler and go measure it then told us we should buy all kinds of extra crap for our ac when we literally told him we only need the plug and those holes to collect the water. He was also rude to be when I refuse to buy the extra stuff he suggested. read more

Walked in bought a drill found the bits and screws I needed very easily. Found shelves and hangers right next to them. Worked construction for most of my life and I usually dread asking a home depo or Lowe's employee for help, city miLl people actually knew what they were talking about which was refreshing and warranted a 5 star review. Place is rockin only thing I wish they had was more parking! GREAT PRICES!!! read more

Great team! Maybe laking just a bit on knowledge on certain fields such as resin, but great and kind effort to learn about it. read more

City Mill Kaimuki, five stars for the new wahine manager! About time they got a great manager! So professional, and so much aloha! She really cares about the customers. 1 stars for 90% of the staff comprised of grouchy old fut men! read more

One thing you will find @ the smaller neighborhood hardware stores is hands on customer service. Yes the big box corp chain ones do offer service, but that is if and when you can find someone to ask for assistance. I desperately needed to find a particular screw and nut $.60 that I just couldn't find myself, but finally decided to seek out and asked one the cust svc ladies here. And after about 20 mins. she figured it out via many trials and errors. She was such a patient person as she herself was perplex, but in the end she apologized for taking so long. I told her that there is no reasons to apologize, and I told her MAHOLO PLENTY BIG TIME as I mentioned to her that I would never have been able to figured out their system! Sorry didn't get her name? read more

Very good customer service unlike homedepot, I had 2 guys assisting me to find the right size screw, a task that would have taken me about an hour done in 5 mins. read more

This City Mill is my go to place whenever I'm short on handy-things around the house. Right down the street from me, big parking lot (bottom lot as well), and they have a small selection of pretty much everything you'd find at a bigger hardware store. The employees are always so friendly and welcoming, but the lines can be a little long since sometimes there's only 2-3 cashiers. read more

Had a key duplicated. When I got home it didn't work. I drove back and when I told the same lady who cut my key it didn't work she said "I was worried about this one, I didn't have the right blank." WTF, so you just made the dup with the wrong blank and just hoped it worked! Lame! Waste time - Lose money! read more

Never really bothered to check this place out until I recently got my own place. I love their selection of plants and veggies. They have a lot of interesting stuff here, stuff I never knew I needed. Went in there needing one thing, and came out with 10 things. Most of all I was so happy I found the perfect little white desk chair that I've been dreaming of. Such a cool modern vintage look. Seems like something only an IKEA would sell and couldn't find it anywhere until I decided to pop in this place, and what did you know, they had it and it was less than $70. Bottom line, you'll be surprised at the selection in this place. The employees were really helpful and quite knowledgeable about the plants I bought too, which is a plus. Also, I did not expect them to have such an amazing return policy! That really sets them aside from other hardware stores and retailers. Definitely going to be my new go to place. In regards to the other reviews. Maybe you caught them on a bad day, but the service I received on 11/14/2017 around 4pm was amazing. The cashiers working that day were also exceptional. If you need assistance, just ask. Don't be too hard on these guys. Sometimes people are busy or they just forget, or lack common sense from time to time, but if you ask, you shall receive! Can't wait to buy more plants!! read more