I don't understand some of the reviews here. Yes, when you walk into the store, the staff immediately asks if they can help you and they sometimes do go with you to the aisle for the purpose of,.....(drum roll)....HELPING YOU! Good gravy people! Some of you are acting like you want to NOT have anyone to EVER help you! If that is the case...GO TO LOWES! They will be happy to NOT give you any assistance, and they hire plenty of people who have no earthly idea how to do anything other than play on their phones. E&T Hardware is a gem! Elgin is lucky to have a great place where we can go get what we need quickly and have people there who know what they are talking about. And so, some of the prices, not all, but some are a little more than the big box stores. The way I look at it is, my time is worth more than saving a few bucks here or there. I value my time and will continue to give E&T first shot at just about everything I need and only go to Lowes or HD when either E&T does not have what I need or the price is such that I have no other choice. read more

The prices are high, the associates hover( in an untrusting way) I can appreciate slightly higher prices for a small business, the hovering though, bugs the shit out of me. If I need help, I'll ask for it. Today, the store drove me away permanently, when they chose to display political signage in these divisive times. Zero stars read more

The staff follows you wherever you walk in that store! Also they charged me for a paint stick even though I bought a paint brush and was assured by the lady following me that I would not be. read more

Prompt and friendly service. What small town business should be. Been there several times, each time, friendly faces, and if they do not have it, they suggest where to go find the item in question. read more

Customer Will B. is right; see his comments. I am a 76 year old guy that has done many hours of shopping but I can tell you that shopping at this store is strange. The staff cluster around the door and as soon as you walk in they are on you. If you say you don't need any help, one of them follows you around the store. I can tell you that lots of us men , like women, may know what the particular thing is they want, but want to walk around and look, just for fun, before getting the item they want. Well, you don't get space for "looking fun" in this store. As a psychologist, my training suggests the store owner/manager has either been assaulted by shop lifters, or has an anal issue; whatever, it makes the business strange. . read more

They are always trying to help, as soon as you walk in the door they always greet you and ask what you need help with. Even being an antisocial person I appreciated the feeling of at least they care. I would definitely recommend and I will definitely keep using them. read more

Great local hardware store, amazing inventory. Super helpful staff, this is now my go to store!

Don't come here because they treat you like your going to steal something. Absolutely Horrible. They are always asking what you need and they are right there when you walk in the door. I have no personal space in that store. Very Disappointing, read more

This is not just your ordinary hardware store. I just love the selection that this store has for the ladies, not to mention the guys stuff. They have the best selections of slogger shoes, garden flags, door mats, bird feeders & seeds that I have ever seen. If you haven't stopped in, you should definitely check it out. You will love how friendly the staff is and they are so knowledgeable about things. They went out of their way to help us. This is my go to store!!! read more

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I love this store. The staff are so helpful and always polite. Awesome customer service and always willing to help you out. I always check with them before going to Lowe's or Home Depot. Highly recommended! read more

The owner of this store, John Thrash, has been incredibly sexist towards my friend and I during our two visits to this store. The first time we went in, we were looking at tools (we build tables as a hobby) and he approached us and told us we didn't need to look at tools and directed us to the jewelry section. I calmly told him that we weren't interested in jewelry and that it was offensive to make that assumption. On our second visit, he approached us on his own and said "oh yeah, you're the tough girls who like man stuff instead of jewelry." When we got to the register, he started telling another male customer that we were hard on him and started mocking the fact that we didn't find his sexist remarks funny. He said that we should have taken it as a compliment. He was getting louder and talking over us to this customer, I'm sure making him uncomfortable as well. It was as if he wanted the guy to help him gang up on us. The strangest part was that there were two women working in the store while all of this was going on. I called him out for his behavior and left. I will certainly not be supporting this local business anymore due to the owner's unacceptable and heavily outdated behavior. I have never had an experience like this with a store owner or employee before, and frankly was shocked by the entire situation. I'm disappointed because I would have been a very frequent customer at this store if this hadn't happened. read more