This place is the closest hardware store to where I work and for household items or tools here and there, I can usually find what I am looking for. I think the only time that they didn't have something occurred during the recent ice storm and they pretty much ran out of useful flashlights and portable lighting devices.
In addition to being pretty well stocked, they have plenty of staff on hand waiting to help customers with questions they may have. I'm not sure if it's because the space is smaller or if they have a customer service policy but you're more likely to be approached with assistance here than at any Canadian Tire location.
Something that's happened to me on more than one occasion had to do with product pricing. Maybe they don't advertise their sales or have sale tags by their sale items but I've recalled having items scan at a lower price than what they posted at the display. I'm not one to complain about that.
With competition seemingly fierce among the Home Improvement and Hardware chains (i.e. Canadian Tire, Rona, Home Depot, Lowe's), I'm hoping that Home Hardware keeps it's niche and survives.