Parsons Lumber & Hardware

I've been going to Parson's Hardware for 5 years since I moved to Glen Ellen and I highly recommend their store. Although a bit pricier than the bigger chain stores like Home Depot, I can ask a question and get an intelligent answer and personal direction to just the product or part I need.

I especially like that they refill propane tanks at a reasonable price. And one time they even let me borrow a rolling cart that helped me move some very heavy potted plants! I don't know if they will do that for everyone but it sure saved my back that they did for me. They also have a decent supply of lumber and a saw to cut it to the length I need.

For a little extra money I get exceptional service and actually, since they are right on Hiway 12 in Boyes Hot Springs, any extra cost is made up for in saved gas money to go somewhere else.

I stopped at Parsons this morning for a propane tank refill for the BBQ grill.

EVERY employee I encountered smiled and said hello.

It's so rare to find good customer service these days.

Also, noticing some of the other reviews, it's not really fair to compare them to Home Depot or Costco.

Great to have Pearson's Lumber & Hardware in Sonoma!!

Recently stopped at Friedman's in search of anti-grub treatment for the lawn, but found none. A quick call to Parson's revealed they they had some in stock. Upon entering the store, the service person remembered my phone call, promptly retrieved the treatment and even gave good tips about how to apply it.

Way to go, Pearson's Lumber & Hardware. Happy to have an alternative yo big box hardware stores in Sonoma.

In general, I am very happy with Parsons. They are more on the ball than Friedmans, and most of the staff is knowledgeable. I have no problem paying 20 or even 30% more for certain things than I would at, say, Home Depot. I want to support local businesses. However, when I had to pay $28 for an 8 foot con heart redwood 2 x 4 recently, it really was a little beyond the pale. That is fully double the Home Depot price.
Update: I should add that the prices of most of the items at Parsons are not nearly so out of kilter, and are reasonable for a small business.

I worked here about 8 months ago and I gotta say it was a fantastic place. The work environment is always positive and helpful. Everyone there is very knowledgeable and understanding and the owner always goes above and beyond for both his employees and his customers. If they're ever hiring and you want to learn more about products, solutions to electrical,plumbing or carpentry, or just want to work with an amazing team. I'd highly suggest this place. Shout out to Al, Antonio, Mason, Matt, Lisa, Tom, Oscar, Megan, KC, Allen, and Helen for creating such a great work environment and training me so well.

I often struggle to find what I need here but it's a small store so that's understandable. They usually have something SIMILAR to what I'm looking for but not exactly. As an example, the highest percentage isopropyl alcohol they sell is 70% which for most applications of cleaning/prepping is a uselessly low dilution. Helpful staff.

It's nice to have a hardware store in the neighborhood but sometimes they close 30min early which is frustrating to find out. Now I drive across town to Friedman's out of principle since I know they don't close early. Would be willing to give the business 5 stars if they stuck to the listed hours.

I appreciate having this store here in Sonoma, especially because the alternatives aren't very good. It's the place to go for small items and propane, and you'll get good help and avoid the long lines at the other hardware store. I generally avoid buying more expensive items and tools there due to the high markup. I recently spent a whopping $40 on a plastic 5-gallon gas can there, only to see the same one a week later at Costco for $15.

These guys saved my bacon when I dropped important keys STRAIGHT down a drainage grid. This was ONLY the third time in my life that this has happened to me. (I know, for most people, it would be the first time, but welcome to my life. Yep, three instances in three different states.) In pulling one set of keys from my front pocket in the dark morning, I heard that awful "clink" maybe 10 feet below. It was too dark to actually see the keys down in the drain, but I knew, just knew what had happened.

After I accepted the reality that I should probably only live in places with no drainage pipes (like AZ), I called Parsons and explained my predicament. It was like talking to one of my dear, old uncles. "Yes, come on down, we can help you."

I know this is not rocket science, but when you're feeling like - -"What ELSE can go wrong?!" it feels super good to feel like things are getting much better and getting much better right away.

I received a friendly, calming greeting at Parsons and left with a super magnet, a few yards of free twine to fish the dang keys out with, and a large, bright key chain too big to fit through any drainage grate.

Parsons turned my day around and I can't recommend this small, high-level customer service store strongly enough.

Stopped in Parsons yesterday to purchase two "emergency" items, Terro ant bait and Dap Kwik Seal only to find the price of the Terro 72% higher than Home Depot and the Dap 24% higher. I bought the Dap as it was the "bargain", but the Terro was "too rich for my blood".

It is truly an unfortunate sign of the times where a relatively well stock single outlet store needs to inflate their margins by such numbers to stay in business. Very sad indeed!

I love supporting our local businesses and I shop Parsons whenever I can. They almost always have what I need, the staff is friendly and helpful, and their prices are competitive. Best of all, I can walk there from my house.

Last year I needed a tool for a 'once only' job and the man behind the counter (I think he's the owner) let me borrow the tool. That is what you call "a neighborly business".