I'm not sure how much money my conversation at this store saved me. I was having trouble finding a plumber in Madison (for every good review there seems to be a horror story). So, after reading the Yelp reviews and having walked by Howe Brothers numberous times I decided to stop in the store to a) see if my plumbing issues were things i could fix myself b) ask for a recommendation - nice guys from the neighborhood, their opinion would be the deciding factor.
I did have to wait a few minutes, the guy was finishing up with another customer. Watching this interaction put me at ease. He took apart a toilet in the store, got the proper tools out and walked the customer through how he would fix it at home.
Then he counseled me through how to diagnose and fix three (!!) plumbinig issues. I just bought a house... people hide things. And the best part, one of the first things he said, "You don't need a plumber. You can fix this stuff yourself. Call a plumber when all else fails or when you have a major plumbing problem". I was able to fix everything on my own (I'm just your average person, not much prior plumbing experience- just youtube and this advice).