The hardware counter
A neighborhood hardware store that says yes to the search
Fasteners, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint and sundries, hand tools and bits, chains, ropes and cleaning supplies, and a staff that says yes to the search.
Chapter 01
The small part that other stores send you away without
Hardware jobs rarely stall on the big thing. They stall on the small part: the washer that is the wrong thickness, the bolt a quarter inch too short, the fitting that joins two pipe sizes, the screw in a thread nobody carries any more. Big-box aisles are built around the common part, and the uncommon one is the one you came for.
At Wilensky's the answer to a hardware or tool search is yes. The shop says yes to assisting with any hardware or tool search when other hardware stores would say sorry, we can't help you.
Customers on Google describe the staff as friendly, knowledgeable and very helpful, in a store that is clean, organized and stocked with a wide range of hand tools, plumbing, electrical, paint and fasteners.
Pegboard wall of hammers, pliers, saws and screwdrivers above a router bit display
Match the part by holding it: bring the old one in
Bring the broken part. Threads are matched by diameter and pitch, plumbing fittings by size and thread type, bolts by length, head and grade, and all of that gets answered by laying the old part against the new one on the counter instead of guessing from a photo or a measurement scribbled on your hand.
The shelves cover fasteners, nuts and bolts, brackets, chains, ropes and tubing for the holding and joining, and faucets, sinks, toilet supplies and plumbing supplies for the water side. Electrical supplies and light bulbs sit beside paint and paint sundries, with solvents and adhesives for the finishing and the repairs.
If the part you need is a length of pipe cut or threaded, a pane of glass or a screen, that happens at the same counter. See Screens, Glass & Pipe.
Chapter 03
We back our products 100%
Wilensky's will service anything it sells, and the manufacturer's warranty comes with the product. If something bought at the counter doesn't do its job, bring it back to the people who sold it.
Because the same shop cuts keys and installs locks, a latch or lock bought at the hardware counter can be installed, keyed and looked after by the same people. Estimates on sales and installations are free, in person or by phone.
Find the shop at 1113 E Passyunk Ave in South Philadelphia, a family owned store since 1917. Call (215) 468-4819 before you come if you want to ask about a part.
“Always helpful and friendly for any hardware store needs as well. Cannot recommend Wilensky enough!” Becca Haydu, Google review.
What's in the drawers
Twenty-one lines from the shop's hardware list, sorted into four drawers. If what you need isn't named, ask at the counter.
Hold it up and together
The small parts that decide whether a job stays put.
Water
From the faucet to the drain line.
Power, paint and tools
What it takes to wire, brighten, finish and fix.
Mend and clean
Bonding, dissolving and the clean-up after.