Griffin Hardware

About Griffin Ace Hardware... 

We've  come a long way in the past 50+ years. From “Griffin Hardware and Feed” of the early 50’s through the turbulent 60’s and 70’s, past the invasion of the “big boxes” of the 80’s and 90’s and into the new century. We are surviving and in fact prospering even with the “big box” invasion. People see us as an alternative to these large outlets- and alternative of convenience and helpfulness. The challenges of competition have only served to strengthen our position in the marketplace and refined our individuality. Our affiliation with Ace Hardware has given us the tools and direction to grow beyond even our wildest dreams.

We’ve gone from serving farmers and ranchers of rural Santa Ana, selling baby chicks and feed, to working with new citizens arriving from Mexico and then Vietnam, to helping soccer dads trying to get through their “honey-do” list before the big game, to working with single moms trying to save a few bucks by repairing their own leaking faucet. Yet through the last decades a common thread has been weaved into our business – helpfulness.

We’ve helped the Mitsuizu’s and Young’s with their farming needs; we’ve helped the Garcia’s and Avila’s fix up their homes. We worked with the Li’s and Nguyen’s making a new home in a new country and the Burns’ and Jones’ getting those repairs done quickly so they could spend more time with their families. 

It’s such a rewarding experience to work with our seniors to get them the help they need. With the graying of America, we see this segment as an increasingly important part of our customer base. Many of these seasoned citizens are living on fixed income and anything we can do to save them some money is, we believe, a great service. We take pride in being a positive influence in our community- a good neighbor.

Through the years we’ve come to realize that we don’t just sell hardware-we offer answers to problems. Our stores are so much more than hardware stores -- they’re solution stores. We bust with pride when a customer says, “Gosh, we’re glad you’re here!” or tell us how special our associates are or say how much fun it is to shop in our store. We are so much more than a hardware store.

Of course, we couldn’t possibly be so special on our own -- it takes all our associates to create this special-ness.  From Linda, whose been with us more years than any of us care to admit (and can handle whatever we throw at her), to Charlie who worked for us growing up over 25 years ago and is now a Secret Service Special Agent in Charge of the Reagan compound. Charlie has kept in touch over the years and has many times thanked us for the lessons of integrity and honesty he learned while working here. And we will never forget Mr. Ward who worked for us until the day he died. People would actually call ahead to make sure he was in the store before coming down for help on their plumbing problems. What a great solutions expert he was! Following in Mr. Wards’ footsteps, Dale has become our resident Del Mar plumbing guru. His unflappability and quiet expertise have become a hallmark of our store. And of course we must mention Leah, our very first Del Mar associate. She has climbed the ladder from entry-level cashier, to department manager to store bookkeeper. It’s always so satisfying to see our associates grow within our business.

It’s an honor to be here in times of need too. When floods hit Orange County or earthquakes rattled our homes or fires devastated San Diego, we were here to help. How great to be able to supply that frantic mom with an air filter for her asthmatic son or a generator to an apartment complex down the street. We take pride in being a good neighbor. 

We love to walk the floor, see the clean organized aisles, smiling customers and helpful associates. We get excited when great new products arrive on the floor. We too often just can’t do without the neat new gadget or cool tool! We really are so much more than a hardware store.

It is so wonderful to have our three daughters now active in the business. Our conscious efforts over the years to present our business in a positive light have been rewarded. What fun it is to watch yet the 4^th generation already a part of the business- even with their own “manager in training” buttons. If this were not a dedicated a rewarding endeavor it wouldn’t be attracting yet another generation of Griffins. This alone shows the commitment and dedication of the business.

Yes, we are special:

We offer answers to problems in an exciting and energetic environment. Much has surely changed in the last 50 years but then again much has remained the same. It might be the second and third generations of Griffins’ running the show but the same commitment to help the customer above all else is still our number one job. Each time we solve their problems, make their life a bit easier or more enjoyable we have done our job. 

Yes, we are truly much, much more than a hardware store.