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.
If you're like us and get hopelessly lost in the aisles in pursuit of a single 5/16" torque washer, begging for someone, anyone, to offer a hand. Shopping at a small store is much more manageable, and the odds of finding a helpful, possibly even contented soul, are much higher. You'll also be more likely to be putting money into the pocket of your community and local economy, rather than towards the candidacy of a traitorous felon hellbent on waging war against the people he was supposedly elected to lead.
Here are nine local, time-honored L.A. hardware stores we like that you can seek out when boycotting Home Depot.