For generations, Hall’s Hardware & Lumber has been a familiar name in Milton, serving local homeowners, contractors and do-it-yourselfers with something that can be difficult to find at a big-box store: personal attention.
Located at 6606 Highway 90 in Milton, Hall’s Hardware & Lumber combines the selection customers expect from a modern hardware store with the neighborly service of a longtime local business. Its online store features everything from power tools and lawn and garden supplies to plumbing products, building materials and outdoor cooking equipment.
But General Manager Kevin Peterson believes the real difference is not simply what is on the shelves. It is what happens when customers walk through the door.
“We don’t treat you like you’re just a number,” Peterson said. “We treat you like a customer, like a friend, like a neighbor.”
That philosophy comes from decades of serving the same community. According to Peterson, Hall’s got its start around 1960 with the Hall family before the business was acquired by the Allen family. It later moved to its Highway 90 location and remained in the family for decades. About five years ago, the business entered into a partnership with Nation’s Best.
Through all those changes, its local identity has remained important.
Peterson has witnessed much of the store’s evolution firsthand. He has served as general manager and has been with Hall’s for 20 years. He credits Wade Allen, who operated the business for many years, as a mentor and a “great teacher.”
Over time, Hall’s has continued to evolve based on what its customers need.
Today, the store carries the traditional hardware essentials, including lumber, plumbing supplies, lawn and garden products, tools and more. Its online selection also includes popular brands such as Case, Melissa & Doug, Rust-Oleum, Scotts and Valspar.
But a trip to Hall’s can also uncover a few surprises.
Peterson said the store has developed specialty areas that set it apart, including extensive cooking, gift, toy and camping sections. The ability to seek out unique products is one of his favorite parts of the job. Customers can also shop online and have eligible products shipped to the store for pickup.
Still, the biggest specialty at Hall’s may be its knowledge.
A broken faucet or toilet can turn an ordinary day into a frustrating one for a homeowner. At Hall’s, Peterson said chances are someone has seen that exact problem before.
“We’ve had your problems before. We’ve dealt with them before. We know how to help you,” he said. “There’s nothing we haven’t seen, usually, because we’re a local hardware.”
That experience allows employees to do more than point shoppers toward an aisle. They can listen, answer questions and help customers determine what they actually need.
For Peterson, those interactions are also the most rewarding part of his work.
“Helping people, that’s so rewarding to me,” he said.
For Hall’s Hardware, being local is about more than having a Milton address. It is about knowing the community, understanding the problems customers face and taking the time to help. After more than 60 years, that neighbor-to-neighbor approach remains at the heart of the business.
Hall’s Hardware
6606 Highway 90, Milton, FL, 32570
850-623-4622
doitbest.com/halls-hardware-and-lumber
Open Mon. – Sat. 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sun 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.