There’s a few things that you can find at Rittenhouse Hardware that you can’t at the big box hardware stores, starting with Carl.
Carl, the chillest black-and-white shepherd mutt I’ve ever met, greets you at the door with soft, watery eyes and a tail wag that tells you he’s happy you’re here, but he’d appreciate it if you met him on his level of chill.
Carl only has eyes for his owner, Jesse Prager, and upon meeting Prager, I understand where Carl gets his chill.
Prager points out a few more things you can find at Rittenhouse Hardware that you can’t find at the big box stores: knowledgeable, attentive staff that will give you free advice and find what you’re looking for within seconds; parts for older homes that many hardware chains don’t carry; and the convenience of having a hardware store you can walk to.
To steal a line from one of many five-star Yelp reviews Rittenhouse Hardware has received, “This store is stocked as if it was in Diagon Alley; not one inch of the wall/ceiling is wasted.”
If we’re sticking with the Diagon Alley theme, even the most obscure requests at Rittenhouse Hardware are handled with the same individualized care and attention that Ollivander gave Harry in the wand shop. The guys at Rittenhouse can tell you exactly what nut will hold a faucet to a supply line, what masonry drill bit mounts a television onto a brick wall, and they’ll help you find a replacement lightbulb in about 30 seconds (Prager even gave me some advice on how to handle a sticky front door).
Prager said he’s worked hard to train his employees to make even the most unknowledgeable customers feel confident about finding and using the right tool or part without making them feel inferior.
“We want everyone to feel comfortable coming in no matter where you came from,” he said. “That’s consciously brought up here.”
Like Prager, original owner Ken Kemp started working at a hardware store in college, fell in love with the business, and turned what was then a small market into Rittenhouse Hardware in 1994. Prager began working there in 2001 and bought the store from Kemp in 2021.
“This is one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had,” Prager said. “We have fun here. We’re always joking around, picking music, hanging out, it’s a fun environment.”
