MARENGO – You would never find this at a big-box store.
Hinkle's Hardware & Paint on Main Street in Marengo is more than just a place to shop, it is a community gathering place much like the feed-and-seed stores of old.
“In the morning, if you come in early, there’s a group of guys who come in, sit in the chairs, they all have their coffee,” said Celina Leonard, the store’s paint manager. “Customers will be shopping but they will sit down and talk because they are your friends. We have a table outside and people start sitting out there when it gets warmer.”
For customers, there is time to relax and socialize. They don’t have to drive 25 miles to find a hardware store in another town. Hinkle’s is a hometown hardware store.
You’ll find horse feed, chicken feed and cattle feed.
“In the wintertime, we carry hay and straw,” Leonard said.
They also carry wood pellets for your stove.
“You can buy it by the pallet or by the bag,” Leonard said.
There are seeds, topsoil, mulch, plants — all the things you would need to enjoy the rural life.
Then there are items you may never think of until you suddenly need them.
“We have springs for garage doors,” Leonard said. “We have corks for bottle stoppers. We have bird seed, bird houses, suet feeders, suet. The list goes on.”
Hinkle’s recently expanded, opening a paint store across the road from the hardware store. It offers interior and exterior paints for your house, and even paint for your barn.
“Most people who have been coming in are very thankful that it’s here,” Leonard said. “Our prices are comparable to the big stores.”
Hinkle’s opened the paint store because customers were asking for it at the hardware store, but there wasn’t enough room to house it in that location.
“We’re just trying to give the community the best that we can and as much as we can,” Leonard said. “If enough people ask for something, we’ll bring it in whether we have the space for it or not. We’ll find a place.”
Hinkle's Hardware & Paint
17 N. Main St.
Marengo, OH 43334-9517
419-253-0221
Hours (hardware store):
Monday 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Wednesday 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursday 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Hours (paint store):
Monday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Tuesday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Wednesday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.