About Us

Learn More About Tri-County Builders Hardware

50+ Years' Experience | Locally and Family Owned | Manufacturers' Warranties Honored

50+ Years' Experience
Locally and Family Owned
Manufacturers' Warranties Honored

Read About Our History

Tri-County Builders Hardware specializes in providing commercial and residential hardware to builders, contractors, and homeowners alike. We strive every day to make our name synonymous with quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction and you will find our expertise is rooted in experience.

In the 1920s, focusing on hardware to accommodate the rapid growth within the city of Detroit, John J. Gamalski established Gamalski Hardware on the corner of Charles and Mount Elliott Street in Detroit.

John and his wife, Anna (née Wilkowski), had 10 children, six boys and four girls. The four older boys - Richard, John, Joseph, and Gerald were involved in the hardware business at a very early age, and eventually, John sold the business to the four of them. To support their four families, the brothers decided to expand the business in 1960 and opened another retail store in Warren on 12 Mile and Van Dyke Avenue. The Warren store was strictly a retail operation with a commercial hardware section in the rear of the store.

In 1965, Joseph Gamalski, who operated the commercial side of the business in the Warren store, decided to move that department further north to accommodate the growing housing business in that area. He leased a building on 16 Mile and Mound in what was then Sterling Township, but eventually Sterling Heights, and there Tri-County Builders Hardware was established.

The Detroit store continued to serve the community through the late 1980s and contributed to many notable establishments. Their commercial hardware supplied such jobs as Joe Louis Arena, D.M.C. Hospitals, Henry Ford Hospital, and other such renowned projects.

The Warren store prospered into the early 1990s until the “Big-Box” retail centers took over the hardware industry, not only in the Detroit area but nationwide. It closed its doors in 1992, after over thirty years of service to surrounding communities.

The remaining store, Tri-County Builders Hardware, in Sterling Heights, is still thriving to this day. Serving the housing business since 1965, it has been able to survive the housing downturn as well as the Big-Box effect. When the housing market plunged during the 'Great Recession' in the early 2000s, the company switched its focus to include larger commercial hardware applications in addition to their residential hardware. With that change in focus, they have been able to persevere through the economic crisis in Michigan.

Tri-County Builders Hardware is a proud supporter of the Warren Kiwanis Club and has been a member of the Michigan Retail Hardware Association (MRHA) for over 55 years. The business is currently operated by John R. Gamalski's and Gerald J. Gamalski's respective sons - John (Jay) and Gerald Jr. (Jerry), third generation Gamalskis.

Visit our shop today and check out our extensive hardware inventory. We offer FREE estimates!