Ace Hardware

Hardware stores would be one of my favourite places to go to, but well it definitely comes after groceries. Ace Hardware would be one of the more established hardware chain-​stores in Malaysia as you’d see that they have quite a number of outlets in K.L. itself.
I have to be honest, I always feel lost when I’m in there and trying to look for something, but to be fair, I think that’s partly because of my lacking of direction sense too. So, not blaming anyone there, hah!
In fact, the store is very organized as in they do have signboards and labels telling you where to find what, and if you are not clear still (like me), I always ask from the staff there regarding the things that I want to look for. Their staff here are pretty approachable too, so no biggie with finding things in the store.
Prices are pretty fair here, and they do have a wide range of different products of different brands here, so you have more options. Recommended if you are looking for hardware, you will be able to find most of those that you need there.

I find ACE hardware the perfect one stop center for all your household & handy needs.
You can find almost everything here & even if your not looking for anything in particular, I guarantee you will walk out with something!
Electrical gadgets such as water pumps, grass cutting equipment & drills are all neatly displayed for your convenience. The detergents, specialty sprays & cleaning equipment are of top quality & not available in your common stores and supermarkets.
Fancy having a BBQ? This place carries a few different BBQ pits to cater to your living space. Mind you, the staff here are extremely helpful & are willing to go the extra mild to help you find what you need if not other options.

Being born in a small town, I’m used to going to get my hardware fix at a local store instead of shopping malls. And there is a reason why, at your local store, you’re mostly likely able to haggle the price and get a good deal or recommendation. In the malls, you don’t really get good staff services as these workers are mostly foreign and the only person who knows what’s going on might be the manager only.
So how about Ace hardware? Price wise it’s tricky, you do get those everyday household items at a cheaper price because of their sheer volume. I would always get my light bulbs and bathroom fixtures here as they have a good variety of choices and price is just as good as your local store. Sometimes convenience is more important than just price considering how tough it is to get around KL with all the traffic woes.

I guess this is the equivalent of the western Home Depot that we constantly hear about.
It may seem like your standard hardware shop from the outside, but once inside it is a whole new world.
Ranging from bolts to fit the tiniest nut to a spectrum of wall paint colors to pick from, you can go crazy over the color pellets.
Who knew there were different shades and hues of rainbow colors? I went with the safest purple shade, wine color which made my room look a little dark but that’s fine because ACE HARDWARE HAS A WHOLE ISLE FOR LIGHTINGS and FIXTURES.
Service is impeccably efficient; they even had a paint mixing machine which I found extremely impressive. I’m so easily entertained.
Not all of the items are priced fairly, there are a few items which you may find in other hardware stores for a better bargain so always be a smart consumer and compare prices!

Not to show-​off or anything but I own a lot of designer bags and I usually go for the limited edition pieces (I call it a hobby.) Now when it comes to expensive leather goods, my main concern is the upkeep. I have to air my bags twice a month and give them a good polish every 6 months or so to keep them in tip-​top condition (it helps in the showing-​off practice.) Now the real problem is the lighter colored pieces, I usually throw my hands up and send it to a leather specialist for the best treatment however it is quite expensive.
In an attempt to fulfill my new years resolution and be more frugal in my spending, I decided to turn to YouTube for help. I stumbled across a video of nice young lady performing her own leather cleaning. She looked frugal enough so I decided to follow in her footsteps. She was using a leather cleaner which she had gotten from her local DIY store (in Denmark) so I rushed to the nearest DIY store I know in Mid Valley (flights to Denmark weren’t on sale then, I checked,) to get the leather cleaning solution.
Ace Hardware was big. Everything seems to be in place (I wouldn’t know, I’m a fashion designer.) Hammers were at the hammer section, screwdrivers were at the screwdriver section and screws and nails were at their allocated sections. I felt a sense of relief. I looked for the leather section and to my surprise, there was no such section (gasp!) a friendly worker then told me that the leather cleaners were placed near the car accessories section. This is because the leather seats in cars need treatment too (gasp!)
I found my leather treatment solution although it’s not the same brand as the one in the video with the nice, frugal looking lady, but it worked just as well. My leather goods have never looked better! Now to go show it off!