It’s often been lamented that downtown New Haven lacks a hardware store.
Well, you’ve heard of Hull’s, the art supply store. How about Hull’s, the hardware store?
It’s in a back room, in a section named to appeal to art and architecture students: “Modeling + Printmaking.” And while it’ll be the proverbial day when most of us need intaglio ink or those little fluffy trees architects plant on their models, it might easily be today that we need a Phillips head screwdriver, industrial-strength duct tape or a double-filter respirator mask. And maybe we can’t or won’t drive to a big-box store on the outskirts, or hoof it to New Haven Masonry and Building Supply, to get it.
Here’s a sampling of other handy items we can find at Hull’s when we find ourselves in a pinch:
• metal hammers and rubber mallets;
• files, chisels, pliers and tweezers;
• wrenches, clamps, vise grips and clamp lights;
• box cutters, precision knives and blade refills for both;
• brushes, rollers, trays and drop cloths;
• patching cement and plaster of Paris;
• steel wool and staple guns;
• glue guns and super glue;
• drywall screws and cable ties;
• sandpaper and wood stain;
• straight edges and drill sets;
• soldering irons and solvents;
• tape measures and tool boxes;
• and even lumber, albeit in small and specialized sizes.
And if we don’t end up needing any of those things today, it’s still nice to know where they are, in case tomorrow goes differently.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims.
