Cahaba Heights Hardware

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Fixed at the corner of Cahaba Heights Road and Summit Boulevard, Cahaba Heights Hardware has been a local hardware destination for 66 years. 

The store opened its doors to customers for the first time in 1948. Current owner Thomas Williamson, and his father took ownership of the store in 1988. Within the store, more than 15,000 products are stocked for customers, including paint, hardware and electrical and plumbing equipment. Among a menagerie of other do-it-yourself merchandise, Cahaba Heights Hardware also offers masonry and landscaping products. Included in this category is the store’s best-seller: pine straw.

For customer convenience, the store also offers select glass cutting and fills propane tanks. 

Although Cahaba Heights Hardware does a lot of contract work and often sells product in bulk,  the relationships between the employees and the customers are what make the store different from any other, employee Nate Dowell said. 

He has seen customers bring in their children, and now those children bring in their own into the store. 

“Some people who shop here have been coming by for 60 years,” Dowell said. “We know almost everyone that comes through by name.”

Dowell has been with the hardware store for 12 years. Although his technical job title is delivery dispatcher,  Dowell finds himself being a jack-of-all-trades. With only seven employees, the staff has to work together closely to make sure that daily operations run smoothly. Through this, the employees have built a family-like atmosphere. 

“Its like ‘Cheers’ in a hardware store,” Dowell said and laughed. “I spend more time with these guys than my actual family.”

In addition to the in-store experience, Cahaba Heights Hardware also offers delivery on heavy outdoor material. Whether it is landscaping rocks, soil, sand, gravel or other large-quantity material, for a small fee, Cahaba Heights Hardware will bring what you need to begin or to complete your project to your home. Delivery is available six days a week with times ranging from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

An important part of the store’s mission is to be available, close and convenient to the local community, Dowell said.  If they do not have an item that fits your needs, a member of the staff will try to order it. They place importance on keeping shelves well stocked.

“We are truly a convenience-driven store,” Dowell said.