Grand Lake Ace Hardware – Nursery

I have had good luck here. The man who helped me pick out a gardenia plant was very nice and unusually helpful in telling me how to plant and care for it. Also, I found a nice, reasonably-​priced orchid pot here (unusual). The nursery people appear to be quite willing to help.

Outstanding service. I had spent so much time looking for things in Home Depot and good luck getting any help from their staff. I went to ace hardware and right away someone offer me help! I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. Today, I went back again. I needed to rekey some locks. The service was outstanding. I am never coming back to Home Depot! what a great difference!!!

Without a doubt, the most well staffed, well stocked, thoughtful store I can imagine. I choose this hardware store over any other because they routinely solve every problem I have with my old house. They take the time to ask the right questions, check the fit of things like a screw, and instruct me in proper use of whatever I buy. And that is true even when I’m buying an $ 0.84 screw.

This place has THE nicest staff — helpful, knowledgable, friendly. It is a small garden center but has everything you need.

Do not order a screen door from this store. I try to support local so called here to place an order. Art took my order and was pretty indifferent/​unhelpful, at some point telling me to come in then admitting it would be no different for me to do so, just save him from taking the order I guess. Then of course it was not the right size, off by an eighth Cashier called him over and he was incredibly rude, stormed off muttering «never should’ve ordered» or something. Wow. Anyhow I don’t think he should interact with customers, truly an unacceptable level of rudeness

If you’re a plant person, a person in need of planting advice, or lone wonderer in the Grand Lake area seeking planting inspiration, look no further.
I love this spot. I come here for my apartment gardening needs which have included potted vegetable and strawberry plants, succulents, air plants (tillandsia), ferns, and other varieties that I’ve learned the hard way do not work with apartment living. In addition they sell soil, pots, plant food, and many plant care products. Plus they have many elements to make your very own potted air plant or succulent garden which sell for like $ 30+ in fancy stores. You can easily make a custom garden for half that with products from Ace Garden store.
The staff is hit or miss. Most are helpful, but others are dismissive and could benefit from a course in customer service. I usually look for the guy with tons of tattoos and a clean hair cut. He’s really nice and he has helped me problem solve when squirrels and bugs got to my harvest before I could enjoy my produce.
The hardware section in the store next door (this should probably be a separate review) has tons of items that you’d typically find at Home Depot such as paint, tools, key cutting, plumbing and other home fix it materials.
I broke a window once, long story, and I brought my window frame here to the glass experts. They sold me a piece of glass, then cut the size glass I needed to fix the window myself. It was super easy! I have the rest of the piece in the garage in case I have another dog toy throwing accident ;)

Lowest succulent price I’ve ever seen around east bay. Good selection of succulent and airplanes for very low prices. Bought 10 succulents but found 2 with bugs on them.

The store has many employees to help and assist. Easy to find stuff and intellegent staff to assist.

This is one of the worst nurseries in the area that doesn’t deserve its high rating. It’s a slight step up from your average hardware store, but why bother when there are real nurseries nearby.
The plants are fine. The equipment they sell is crap. I bought a plastic watering can and it leaks horribly. I bought a bottle of bug spray and it stopped working immediately. To their credit they did replace it.
But the service is really poor. A bunch of surly, depressed, disinterested employees, will have me only stopping here as a last resort from here on out.

…love these guys… found what i needed in 4 minutes and the guy at the checkout reminded me that i just might need a little something else… had it ready in 30 seconds… these guys are awesome!
~jack from oakland

I should start by saying that I used to love going to this ACE Garden Center. It is walking distance from my house, they have a good selection of plants, soil, pots, garden supplies, etc. especially given that small space they are working with. That said, the last two times I have gone in there I have had really terrible customer service experiences. The first time I went in to pick up a bottle of pesticide that I had used from them before and had worked wonders. Turns out the brand I had bought previously, had been discontinued (or so I was told). I asked for some help, and the guy that helped me was very unpleasant. As another reviewer mentioned, I felt like I was bothering him by asking questions. I asked if the new pesticide he was recommending was pet-​safe and he said yes. So I went to check out and when I was waiting in line to check out I decided to read the fine print only to find that it was definitely not pet-​friendly. So I went back, had to find someone else and asked them for a brand like the one I had purchased before which had worked well but was pet-​friendly (by the way, I had a photo on my phone of the brand I had used which I showed them all — nerdy, I know, but it helps me remember things) and he recommended a different one. I purchased it and off I went to spray my plants. A week or two in, I started noticing that this pesticide really wasn’t working. I would spray and come back the next day to see all the bugs right where I had left them the day before. I’d spray again, and same thing. I used it several times to give it a good try before realizing it just didn’t work. So I took it back, because that’s what you do when a product you were told would work doesn’t work. The manager was so incredibly unpleasant when I asked to exchange it — I wasn’t even asking for a refund! He said that I could not exchange it because I had used it. Well, yes, I used it enough to know it doesn’t work. «Well it works for everyone else,» he said. «Well, it’s not working for me, and believe me I wanted it to,» I responded. Then he told me I must not be spraying it on the plants. Really?! How hard is it to hit a plant with pesticide when you are spraying from an inch away? I suggested that perhaps I had gotten a bad bottle or it was from a bad batch. «No!» he said — according to him I was clearly using it wrong. Then he asked me what the brand was that I had used originally, that had worked well for me. Luckily I still had my handy picture on my phone, so I showed him. «Oh, he said, that’s this one here, they rebranded it.» So I said, that I had been told previously that it was discontinued, and that I would have purchased the rebranded bottle had I been told that it was the same thing. «Well, you ask five people something here, you’ll get five answers, that doesn’t make this whole thing our responsibility.» Huh, I wonder whose responsibility it is then. He still wouldn’t give me an exchange, but people were staring at us by this point because he was raising his voice, so I said loudly, «I am really surprised to be experiencing this kind of customer service from ACE, I have shopped here for years.» So his final response in a very patronizing voice was, «Well, if you reeeeallllyyyy think this alllllll our fault, then I guess I’ll let you exchange it.» Gee, thanks. You just lost a customer ACE Garden Center.

I love love love having this store in my neighborhood. There are always more than enough staff to help you find and do whatever you need. They are kind and helpful and go above and beyond the call of duty. One time I brought them part of a necklace I was making and they drilled holes for me right then and there.
SOOOO much better than Home Depot or Lowe’s where you feel like you are in a black hole with no one to help you.
Support this local store — you will go in a consumer and leave a friend.

I am one of those people that is fortunate enough to have a roof over my head. That said, it is a creaky-​staired, lightbulb sucking, floorboard missing, our landlords don’t care, kind of a roof. And this lovely home of mine is chock full of street find broken chairs, semi living plants, dressers missing a knob and a variety of things that «just need a fresh coat of paint».
But, I wouldn’t change a thing, because all of these are just excuses to spend time in this awesome hardware store. I’ve never met a more helpful and knowledgable staff, and they have yet to be out of something I’ve needed. The community vibe and fact that they sell pink flamingoes put it up to an even 6 stars for me.

Some of the featured reviews here seem to confuse the Nursery with the Hardware store — they are functionally separate as well as physically separate.
I am a serious gardener and have been to the nursery countless times over the last decade, precisely because of the quality and variety of the nursery’s products and its reliable service. Almost always, there was someone knowledgeable who was available when I needed information.
I highly recommend the ACE Nursery. I did not high-​five it only because the parking is sometimes difficult.

The person who wrote the «Ace is the worst» review (5÷18÷13) must have visited some Ace location other than Grand Lake especially if s/​he went there 3 times. I’ve been a customer at Grand Lake Ace Nursery for many years, and to say that their inventory is lacking and their plants in bad condition is simply bosh. Their inventory would be remarkable in a store twice their size, their selection is inspirational, and the plants are vigorous, healthy, and pest-​free. The only shouting that goes on happens in an effort to communicate across full aisles and various indoor/​outdoor spaces during busy, crowded times of day, and most often in an effort to provide prompt service. There is one cashier who manifests a skeptical attitude toward all comers, but her lack of «warm fuzzies» doesn’t inhibit her competence as far as I can see, nor is she disrespectful to me or anyone else that I’ve seen. The rest of the staff is everything one could wish for in terms of pro-​active customer service. They don’t appear to be unhappy, and I’ve been in retail most of my working life so I have some expertise in the topic of staff attitudes.
One comment on price: Grand Lake Ace Nursery’s prices are entirely in line with other nurseries that sell similar quality plants and offer similar levels of service. Home Depot and OSH are hit-​or-​miss: if the plants have just recently been delivered they may be in okay condition, although seriously over-​fertilized to force bloom or green them up to unnatural hues. At Home Depot and OSH, don’t expect much help, don’t expect to find staff who can answer your questions, and if the plants have been in stock for awhile expect them to be suffering from erratic watering and near-​total lack of attention. Bargain prices for iffy quality — maybe a good deal, maybe not. Depends on how you value your labor, if you’re the gardener.

I showed up at 5:45 (they close around 6) and started to hunt for a home repair solution. The poor service guy was being pounced on by no less than three other people. Still, he stayed calm, helped us all and even brought me through the labyrinth of aisles to my destination. Couldn’t ask for a better experience.

On Thursday Aug 9 we went to ACE on Grand with the broken footstep for a manual wheel chair, and came away with the needed screw (that cost all of 22 cents) but more importantly the footstep was fixed creatively and effectively! I am sorry I did not get the name of the person who helped us, but he should remember who he is I hope he reads this review. As a general rule I often get this kind of service from ACE. A great store that really attends to my needs so well whenever I have a problem!
Nini Schouborg

They pack SO much into this store! If only I spent as much time and money at Ace as I did at the cosmetic counter– my house would be a smooth running, highly organized, efficient, clean, well greased machine!
Two buildings make up the Ace… so I guess I should review this ‘Nursery’ portion. Small and slightly catastrophic parking lot (Please just don’t make a left off of Grand into this lot, it’s just a MESS.) Great entry way that highlights all of the racks of plants they have on the right. The inside structure of the building has many seeds, tools, fertilizers (organic and non-​organic), hand tools, hoses, pots, indoor plants, bulbs, gifty things… gloves. I really like the indoor plant area. It’s so pretty.
Outside is arranged by lighting. What plants grow best where depending on light exposure. Despite the very modest amount of square footage, this nursery manages to pack in quite the variety. Great shrubs, trees, shade plants, grasses, bamboo, cool garden art, fountains. Hanging baskets, more pots, etc. All within a very small space. It’s modest, but they bring us the best of nurseries all around California.
I like that the sales people tend to greet you with a most friendly manner, then leave you alone unless you ask or need help. It makes for a very pleasant shopping experience, especially since I have tended to browse here more than buy, being a renter who only selectively plants in my yard.
I haven’t researched soil here, so I’m not sure about potting medias they carry, quantities, or prices. Prices are generally a little high, but, comparable to most nurseries I have been to around the Bay. I prefer a smaller space, well informed staff, and a familiar face over a few dollars of savings.

For me, it is worth the drive to Oakland to shop at this small compact nursery. They have a great selection of succulents and other plants. I seldom leave empty-​handed. I don’t have a dog, but I like that they are dog friendly and they seem to know the visiting dogs by name.
Parking can be a big problem; they do have a small lot, it usually full and not really easy to get in and out of.
After shopping, it is a short walk to the end of the block and the wonderful Oakland Rose Garden.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet …