Need repairs? Euston Hardware provides a multitude of services
By Jill Draper
It’s seesaw season in Missouri. Spring may start out with sleet and snow, but in a matter of days it will surely be short-sleeve weather—time to air out the house, spruce up the yard and fix the small, annoying jobs you’ve let slide all winter.
Some repairs are easy to figure out by watching YouTube, but others require experience or special equipment. It used to be that stores offered a variety of services to make spring cleanup easier. One that still does is Euston Hardware at the Red Bridge Shopping Center.
Bring in a torn window screen or a storm window with broken glass panes—staff can fix either problem. There are separate charges for materials and labor, but most jobs range from $15 to $50, says general manager Chris Socha. He adds that Euston also can cut traditional pull-down window shades to a custom width.
Special pieces of glass for shelves or table tops with features like beveled edges or safety glass can be ordered, and staff can cut glass for picture frames as well as windows.
Got a lamp that doesn’t work? Staff can do basic repairs such as rewiring or replacing a light socket or the end of a cord.
Blade sharpening is also available at the store for kitchen knives, lawn mower blades, pruners, loppers and chain saws. Serrated knives and circular saw blades can be sharpened as well, but these are sent to a specialist. Plan on about a week for most of these services, Socha says.
The store cuts keys for houses and cars, and can do computer matching for the newer car keys with an electronic chip. In addition, staff can work with house door locks and deadbolts, and can make a new key to go with existing locks for the two most popular brands, Schlage and Kwikset. They also can replace simple watch batteries and service Stihl tools such as chainsaws, trimmers and blowers.
Paint matching is done onsite—the store offers three different lines of Pratt and Lambert (which Socha says has a reputation as an architectural grade of paint) and a store brand called Do It Best.
The store sells plastic PVC pipe, copper pipe and electrical conduit by the foot and will cut any of these to whatever length you want. “A lot of places don’t do that anymore,” Socha notes. He says that level of assistance is what sets Euston apart from other businesses.
“Our focus has to be on customer services. We meet you at the door and help you find anything in the store. There’s always somebody here who can answer a question.”
For specific repair and service questions, call the store at 816-216-7197.