Departments
What we stock + who can help
14,000 SKUs across 8 departments. Each department has a specialist. Real expertise on every aisle. Brands we’ve sold for decades + emerging brands that meet our quality standards.
Hardware + fasteners
The basics, done well
Specialty fasteners + hardware
Stainless, brass, bronze, galvanized in standard sizes + uncommon sizes. Vintage screws + bolts + nails (1920s-1980s) for restoration work. Antique-style furniture pulls + cabinet hardware.
Locks + keys
Standard residential + commercial locks. Vintage + restoration locks. Deadbolts, mortise locks, padlocks. We cut keys (most types). Re-keying service available.
Tools — hand + power
Stanley, Craftsman, Klein, Wiha, Snap-on (limited). DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita power tools. We sell what we use; we don’t carry brands we don’t trust.
Adhesives + sealants
Wood glue, epoxy, caulk, tape, contact cement. Industrial grades + consumer grades. Specialty adhesives for unusual materials (stone, metal-to-metal, marine).
Workshop accessories
Workbenches, vises, sawhorses, dust collection, shop lights, organizers. The non-glamorous parts of a workshop. We carry what holds up to actual use.
Specialist
Carlos Ramirez (South Mpls) · 16 years · weekend woodworker. Janelle Park (St. Paul) · 12 years · plumbing + restoration specialty. David Chen (Edina) · 8 years · all-departments.
Plumbing
Standard + vintage + restoration
Modern plumbing fittings
Copper, PEX, PVC. All standard sizes + connectors. Most major brands (Rheem, Bradford White, A.O. Smith, Moen, Delta, Kohler).
Vintage + restoration plumbing
Mortise locks, vintage-style spigots, period clawfoot tub fittings, restored fixtures. Hard-to-find parts that big-box stopped stocking 30+ years ago. Twin Cities’ deepest restoration plumbing inventory.
Fixtures + faucets
Sinks, toilets, faucets, shower fixtures. Modern (Moen, Delta, Kohler). Vintage-style (Rohl, House of Antique Hardware). Premium (Waterworks, Rohl Country).
Drain + sewer service parts
Snake heads, augers, drain cleaning chemicals, replacement parts for common failures. We don’t do plumbing service — but we have parts your plumber needs.
Water filtration + softening
Whole-house systems, under-sink, point-of-use. We’ll spec systems for Minneapolis municipal water (which has its own quirks). Local water hardness data + recommendations.
Specialist
Janelle Park (St. Paul) is the recognized Twin Cities plumbing specialist. 12 years at Holloway + 8 years prior plumbing service experience. Half her customers are restoration projects.
Paint + decorating
The paint counter
Paint matching from any sample
Bring a chip, fabric, photo, swatch. We match it. Color matching scanner + paint expertise. 5-minute mixing for gallons. We do this 100+ times per day.
Benjamin Moore + Sherwin-Williams
Both major brands stocked. We’re an authorized Benjamin Moore dealer (premium positioning). Sherwin-Williams for value-priced + commercial. Both fully stocked.
Specialty paints + finishes
Chalk paint (Annie Sloan, Rust-Oleum), milk paint, lime wash, lacquer, enamel, marine paint, automotive primer + paint. Restoration + furniture refinishing.
Stains, sealers, finishes
Min-wax, Old Masters, General Finishes, Waterlox. Wood prep + finishing for restoration work + furniture making. Specialist staff who use these products.
Wallpaper + decorative finishes
Wallpaper pastes + tools, decorative hardware, peel-and-stick options. Smaller selection than online but curated for quality.
Specialist
Lin Park is our paint counter specialist. 11 years at Holloway. Trains seasonal staff. The reason our paint counter has shorter waits + better matches than big-box.
Garden + outdoor
Minnesota-suited
Local-suited annuals + perennials
Cool-climate plants. Zone 4-suited varieties. Minnesota-tested cultivars. We don’t carry plants that won’t survive Twin Cities winters.
Seeds + bulbs
Vegetable seeds (regional + heirloom varieties), flower seeds, fall bulbs, spring bulbs. Climate-suited timing recommendations.
Tools + supplies
Hand tools, hoses, sprinklers, fertilizer, soil amendments, mulch, raised bed components. Standard garden inventory + climate-specific recommendations.
Pest + weed control
Organic options, conventional options, pet/child-safe options. We’ll explain what works for specific Twin Cities pest problems (we have specific ones).
Outdoor power equipment
Mowers (Honda, Toro), trimmers (Stihl, Echo), snow blowers (Toro, Ariens). We service some of these locally. Heavy items: we deliver locally ($25 within 5 miles).
Seasonal expertise
Spring planting, fall planting, winter prep, spring cleanup. We post seasonal guides + offer spring + fall workshops. Seasonal staff augment regular team in peak garden season.
Electrical + lighting
Modern + restoration
Wiring + circuit components
Wire (all sizes), breakers, switches, outlets, conduit, junction boxes. Standard residential + light commercial. Restoration + vintage outlet/switch styles available.
Light fixtures + bulbs
Modern + vintage-style + Edison bulbs + LED. Lighting fixtures from $30 to $800+. Restoration fixtures for vintage homes. Smart-home options (Lutron, Hue).
Smart-home + automation
Smart switches, smart bulbs, smart locks (Lutron, Schlage Encode, August). We’ll explain compatibility + setup. Fewer choices than online; better-curated.
Generators + backup power
Portable generators (Honda, Champion, Generac). Whole-house standby (Generac, Briggs & Stratton). We sell + install partner relationship for whole-house systems.
Outdoor + commercial lighting
Outdoor wall sconces, path lights, post lanterns. Architecturally appropriate for Twin Cities historic homes. Some restoration vintage-style options.
Specialist
Robert Kim (St. Paul) — 9 years specialty electrical. Carlos Ramirez (South Mpls) — 16 years; cross-trained on electrical.
Specialty services
What we do beyond product
Knife sharpening (since 1968)
Every Tuesday + Saturday. $8 per knife (kitchen + utility). $12 per knife (specialty: Japanese, hunting, complex profiles). Ready next day. We’ve sharpened knives for some Twin Cities families for 4 generations.
Paint matching
Bring a sample (chip, fabric, photo, swatch). We’ll match it. 5-min mixing for gallons. Saturday mornings can be busy; weekday faster.
Key cutting + re-keying
Most key types. Re-keying houses + commercial properties. Lockout service via local locksmith partner (we don’t do lockout; we connect you).
Equipment rental (limited)
Pressure washers, paint sprayers, scaffolding, ladders. Daily + weekend rates. Phone ahead to reserve, especially busy seasons.
Local delivery
$15 within 5 miles. $25 within 10 miles. $35 within 15 miles. Heavy items + lumber + multiple-bag landscape supply. Same-day or next-day.
Project consultation (free)
Bring your project, get our advice. Often 15-30 minutes; sometimes longer. Free service. Customers often save more than the difference vs. big-box price.
Holloway vs. big-box hardware vs. online
Where you shop matters. Here’s how Holloway stacks up against the alternatives — based on actual customer feedback + side-by-side service experiences.
Big-box stores have lower prices on commodity items. Online has the longest tail. Holloway has expertise + service + community. Pick what fits the project.
| Feature | Holloway Hardware Independent · since 1962 | Big-box (HD/Lowe's) National chains | Online (Amazon) Marketplace + 3rd-party sellers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledgeable staff | ✓Avg 14 yrs experience. Many use what they sell. | ~Variable — depends on department + person. | —Reviews + Q&A; no real-time advice. |
| Get it today | ✓20 minutes from any Twin Cities location. | ✓Often busy on weekends; longer wait. | ~Same-day in some areas; usually 1-3 days. |
| Specialty + restoration parts | ✓Vintage hardware, restoration parts, hard-to-find. | —Standard inventory only. Won't carry rarities. | ~Long tail exists; finding right part is hard. |
| Knife sharpening | ✓$8/knife · ready next day · 60+ years tradition. | — | — |
| Paint color matching | ✓Color matching from any sample. Benjamin Moore + Sherwin-Williams stocked. | ✓Color matching available. Long lines on weekends. | — |
| Plumbing parts | ✓Vintage parts (1920s-1980s). Plus modern. Full plumbing dept. | ~Modern parts only. No vintage or rare. | ✓Long tail; identification difficulty. |
| Garden expertise + plants | ✓Local-suited plants. Cool-climate expertise. MN-tested varieties. | ~Plants often non-local. Generic recommendations. | —No live plant delivery in MN climate. |
| Workshops + classes | ✓20+ free workshops/year. Repair clinics, gardening, DIY skills. | ✓Free workshops sometimes available. Less consistent. | — |
| Community partnerships | ✓Habitat, food bank, schools, neighborhood orgs. 60+ years of giving. | ~Corporate giving programs; limited local impact. | — |
| Price | ~Same on most everyday items. 5-15% premium on specialty. | ✓Generally lowest on commodity items. | ✓Lowest on long-tail; price varies by seller. |
For weekend projects + everyday needs, big-box is usually fine. For complex projects, restoration, expert advice, or hard-to-find parts — that’s when Holloway pays for itself in time + frustration saved.
Department questions
What customers ask
- Same brands + same philosophy + same quality. Some specialization: South Minneapolis has the largest workshop space + garden center. St. Paul has the deepest plumbing + restoration inventory. Edina has the premium hardware + paint focus.