RONA Hamilton (Parkdale)

Rona is a great Canadian story, and while shopping at the big box stores is at times a convenience and sometimes cheaper, I like to think that some of my consumer dollar stays in Canada instead of heading south to the U.S., or worse, overseas.

This particular Rona store has had many different signs out front. it used to be a Wentworth BuildAll. Then I think Beaver Lumber took it over for a bit. Then Cashway. Rona acquired Cashway in 2000 and still maintains the old logo beside the new Rona branding.

Pluses include fairly competitive pricing on the fast movers, a central location with tons of parking and loading areas, terrific tent sales from time to time that can save you a bundle, and as always a friendly courteous staff that are helpful.

On the downside, this isn't the biggest store they have, nor is it close to the size of the bigbox giants that are close by. But like I said, if I need to spend a tad more to keep my buck here, I'll be doing just that.