People continue to join a building boycott of Home Depot over the company's perceived complicity in L.A.'s ICE raids, as well as its CEO's financial support of a second Trump presidency, among other issues. Companies often struggle to act right, and there's never been a better time than now to support alternative hardware stores.
While many point to an alternative in the Ace franchise or L.A.'s own Harbor Freight chain, noting its billionaire CEO's Democratic party political donations, local disaster support, school funding, and the company's own progressive-leaning foundation, the personal benefits of shopping at an independent local hardware store, paint, electric, tool, lumber, or mower shop, over a big box store are still numerous, even when they're unable to offer the same low prices as the behemoths of retail.
Fortunately, many of L.A.'s oldest hardware stores continue to hang on, bucking buyouts from bigger companies and standing strong against the trend of disappearing local legends.