Greschlers Woodworking Tool Shop: Open from 6 AM

Greschlers Hardware is at 660 Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, between 19th and 20th Streets. The store’s official hours are Monday through Friday 6:00 am to 4:00 pm, Saturday 7:30 am to 12:15 pm, and closed Sunday. That early opening is the hook: Greschlers is built for people who need to solve a job before the workday gets away from them, not for a slow afternoon of browsing alone.

Greschlers says it has evolved from a neighborhood hardware store into a supplier for marine, industrial, commercial, and contractor trades. Its categories include abrasives, adhesives, cutting and drilling, fasteners, hand tools, power tools and accessories, safety equipment, and building supplies. A woodworker will not find every specialty plane here, but will find supporting pieces that make a shop functional: bits, abrasives, hardware, clamps, protective gear, and general cutting equipment.

The official about page describes Greschlers as a third- and fourth-generation family-owned business and says it has served the New York City region since 1919. That history explains the store’s practical orientation. It was shaped by repeated trade questions: which fastener survives a job, which abrasive matches a surface, which tool handles a rough task, and which small part is holding up a larger repair. Expect utility before theater. The shop’s value is speed, range, and trade knowledge.

A woodworking list works better when it starts with the operation. Write flatten a rough edge, drill a clean pilot hole, attach a jig, sand a painted surface, or protect a finished piece before writing a brand name. Greschlers carries several tool and supply categories, so an operation gives the staff direction. It also keeps the trip honest: a general hardware counter may solve the actual problem without pushing you toward a specialty item used once.

Abrasives are often where a general hardware stop becomes valuable. A board needing a finish, a painted repair needing feathering, or a glue-up needing cleanup can stall because the maker has the wrong grit or backing. Greschlers lists abrasives as a core category alongside adhesives and cutting tools. Bring the material, finish, and stage of the job in your notes. The staff can help you choose a practical consumable instead of treating sanding as an afterthought.

Saturday ends at 12:15 pm, so this is not the store for a lazy midday start. Arrive early with the project list already written, especially if you need several small items. Weekdays offer a longer window but close at 4:00 pm, which makes the early schedule important for contractors and apartment DIYers alike. If you work late, choose another shop with evening hours rather than arriving after closing and hoping a quick pickup is possible.

Use measurable language: wood species, thickness, hole diameter, fastener length, finish type, and the tool already owned. “I need something for a shelf” is only a start; “I need to join a three-quarter-inch panel to a cleat and hide the fastener” gets closer to an answer. The mix of hardware, tools, adhesives, and building supplies means the counter can connect the pieces if you give it the geometry. A sketch beats a vague description.

Greschlers sits where a short walk can move from retail streets to residential blocks and the industrial history around Greenwood. Continue along Fifth Avenue for storefronts and local food, or angle toward Green-Wood Cemetery for a quieter change of pace. The route suits the shop because both neighborhood and store reward attention to materials: old brick, painted metal, stone, wood trim, and repairs that keep them in use. It is a useful reset after a fast morning purchase.

Choose it if you are a woodworker who also needs general hardware, contractor supplies, power-tool accessories, safety gear, or a fast weekday solution. It is especially useful when a project has become more practical than precious. Skip it if the only goal is comparing rare Japanese chisels or boutique hand planes; a specialist showroom gives that question more depth. Greschlers is strongest when the job has a deadline and a list of supporting parts.

Keep a running inventory at home before leaving: sandpaper grits, common screws, drill-bit sizes, glue, clamps, and protective equipment. The early opening makes Greschlers good for replacing a missing piece, but the store can become expensive if every uncertainty turns into an extra purchase. Take a photo of the broken part or bring it in a bag. A physical example is faster and safer than trying to describe a thread, head, or connector from memory.

Greschlers Hardware is at 660 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215, between 19th and 20th Streets. The official hours are Monday through Friday 6:00 am to 4:00 pm, Saturday 7:30 am to 12:15 pm, and Sunday closed. Categories include hand tools, power tools, abrasives, adhesives, cutting and drilling, fasteners, building supplies, and safety equipment. The early weekday opening is the reason to put this stop first in a project day.

The best Greschlers run is often the one that keeps a project from stopping: a replacement bit, correct fastener, fresh abrasive, adhesive, or safety item. Put those small consumables at the top of the list rather than leaving them to memory. A ten-minute correction early in the day is cheaper than rebuilding a work session around a missing part.

Greschlers is the practical woodworking tool shop for the moment when a bench project meets the real world. Its 1919 family-business history, early weekday opening, contractor focus, and broad supply categories make it more useful than glamorous. Go with a measured list, use the counter for parts you cannot identify, and save specialist hand-tool browsing for a dedicated retailer. For South Brooklyn, that balance is exactly the point.