There are two kinds of independent hardware stores left in Indianapolis. One is a destination: large, bright, seven days a week, with events and a restaurant. The other is a room packed floor to ceiling with things, where the aisles are narrow and somebody behind the counter knows where everything is.
Hedlund Hardware in Broad Ripple is firmly the second kind. Business records date it to 1935, which makes it roughly ninety years old and one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in the neighbourhood.
You do not go there to browse. You go there when you need one specific thing and nobody else has it.
About Hedlund Hardware
Hedlund Hardware operates from 2369 Broad Ripple Avenue on the north side of Indianapolis. Business records place its history back to 1935. It describes itself as Broad Ripple’s oldest non branded Ace Hardware store, and it maintains a small website at hedlundhardware.godaddysites.com.
The store is an authorised Stihl dealer, which is the specialty most people know it for. Alongside that it carries general hardware, tools, plumbing and electrical supplies, Solo Stoves, firewood and propane exchange, and it offers delivery.
Reviewers describe it in consistent terms across decades: stock from floor to ceiling, narrow aisles, and the specific pleasure of finding an obscure fitting that a warehouse would have discontinued years ago. One long time customer described shopping there since 1985. Another called it a flashback to a different era of American retail.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 2369 Broad Ripple Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220 |
| Phone | (317) 255-7278 |
| History dates to | 1935, per business records |
| Specialty | Authorised Stihl dealer, chainsaws and outdoor power equipment |
| Also carries | General hardware, tools, plumbing and electrical, Solo Stoves, firewood, propane exchange |
| Services | Delivery available, and small engine repair |
| Size | Small footprint, densely stocked |
| Hours | Listings disagree. Call before you go. |
On the hours, genuinely
Four different directory listings give four different sets of opening hours for this store, ranging from a 4 p.m. close to a 6 p.m. close, and disagreeing on whether it opens Sunday at all. Rather than publish one and be wrong, the honest advice is to call ahead. It is a small independent store and hours at those tend to move with the season.
How to Use a Store Like This
Dense old hardware stores reward a particular approach, and frustrate people who arrive expecting a warehouse experience.
- Ask for help rather than hunting. The stock density that makes the store useful also makes it hard to search. Reviewers say this repeatedly and cheerfully.
- Bring the broken part with you. A physical sample beats any description, and it is how these stores are designed to be used.
- Confirm the price at the counter. Not everything on the shelves is individually marked, and several reviewers have been surprised at the register. Asking first avoids that entirely.
- Ask about turnaround before leaving equipment for repair, and ask what happens if the fix does not hold.
- Do not expect a big box price on everything. On common items a chain will usually be cheaper. The value here is having the uncommon item at all.
None of that is a criticism. It is how a ninety year old hardware store works, and knowing it in advance turns a frustrating visit into a productive one.
Deck Repairs and the One Part Problem
Here is where a store like this earns its place in an outdoor living project.
New construction is a supplier’s job. Repairs are different. A deck repair is usually one popped fastener, one failed bracket, one split board, and the frustrating part is never the labour. It is sourcing a single item that comes in a box of two hundred, or matching a connector that was standard fifteen years ago and is not now.
Level two is where most homeowners get stuck. board replacement and small repairs sounds simple until you try to match a weathered board, because sun and weather change colour substantially over a few seasons and a new board rarely disappears into an old surface. Sometimes the honest answer is to accept the mismatch and let it weather in.
Composite has its own version of this. common problems with composite boards tend to be surface issues rather than structural ones, and the specific product line matters enormously for what can be fixed and what cannot. Knowing which product is on your deck before you go shopping for a replacement saves a wasted trip.
Level four is the one that matters
If a deck moves underfoot, if the ledger where it attaches to the house shows any sign of shifting, or if a screwdriver sinks into a joist, stop. That is not a hardware problem and no fastener fixes it. Get it looked at before anyone else stands on it.
Deck collapses in this country almost always trace back to the connection to the house or to rotted framing, not to the deck boards people can actually see. The visible surface is the least likely thing to fail.
Location, Directions and Access
Hedlund Hardware, 2369 Broad Ripple Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220. Phone: (317) 255-7278.
The store sits on Broad Ripple Avenue on the north side of Indianapolis. The company’s own listing describes its position as west of 62nd Street and Allisonville Road.
From Keystone Avenue
Broad Ripple Avenue crosses Keystone Avenue in Broad Ripple Village. From that intersection, head east on Broad Ripple Avenue.
From 62nd Street and Allisonville Road
Head west. Broad Ripple Avenue and 62nd Street run as the same corridor through this part of the north side, and the store sits west of that intersection.
Access notes
- Broad Ripple Avenue parking is limited and the commercial strip is busy, particularly at weekends.
- The store is small. Reviewers consistently note narrow aisles, which matters if you are carrying anything bulky.
- Call about hours first, given how much the published listings disagree.
- Delivery is available. Ask about it for anything heavy rather than assuming you have to carry it.
- For Stihl service, ask about current turnaround before leaving equipment, especially in spring and autumn.
{Map Embed}
{Tool Suggestion: A deck fastener identifier where a homeowner uploads a photograph of an existing screw head, bracket or joist hanger alongside a coin for scale, and gets back the likely fastener type and the common product names to ask for at a counter.}
Sourcing Materials on the North Side
The north side of Indianapolis has an unusually good spread of independent suppliers, and they serve genuinely different purposes. A dense old hardware store is where you go for the single part. A larger garden and hardware retailer is where you go to compare furniture and grills. A dedicated building supplier is where you go for volume.
Knowing which is which saves time. If your project is in the northeast quadrant, Castleton deck building materials covers what tends to be available in that corridor and where the gaps are.
Platinum Deck and Patio builds and resurfaces decks and paver patios across the Indianapolis metro. On repair questions specifically, the useful distinction is the one in the chart above: the top two levels are genuinely a homeowner job with the right part, and the bottom one never is.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Hedlund Hardware?
Business records date the store’s history to 1935, making it roughly ninety years old and one of the longest running businesses in Broad Ripple.
Is it a Stihl dealer?
Yes, it is an authorised Stihl dealer and this is the specialty it is best known for locally.
What are the opening hours?
Published listings disagree substantially with one another. Call the store before making the trip.
Do they do repairs?
The store handles small engine and equipment repair. Ask about turnaround when you drop something off, and confirm what happens if the issue recurs.
Is it cheaper than a big box store?
Not usually on common items. The value is stocking uncommon items and single parts. Confirm prices at the counter, since not everything on the shelves is individually marked.
Do they deliver?
Delivery is offered. Call for details on what is covered and any charges.
The Bottom Line
Hedlund Hardware has been on Broad Ripple Avenue since roughly 1935, surviving every retail shift that closed almost every store like it. It survived by being the place that has the thing, which is a narrow business model and a durable one.
If you have a deck with a popped fastener, a failed bracket or a single split board, this is a reasonable first stop. Take the broken piece with you, ask for help rather than hunting the aisles, and confirm the price before you get to the register.
And if the problem turns out to be the framing rather than the fastener, put the part back on the shelf. That is a different conversation entirely, and it is not one a hardware store can have with you.