Nothing beats the old hardware stores that were 1/3rd the size of HD and Lowes, but still had everything you needed. Notice that's all past tense...they've all closed down 
Amen, brother. The last "old time" True Value closed in my home town about two years ago, and it was a sad day. No matter what I was looking for, that place always had it. I'm constantly disappointed when I go looking for an odd part or tool at Lowes and they don't have it.
I have a hard time finding things at Lowes sometimes. Some of the departments in ours aren't logically organized, IMO. That or my logic fails me.