Looking for a Man? Ace is the Place…or Maybe Home Depot

A recent media query brought to light a great suggestion for you single women looking for good men. Go to Home Depot or any hardware store–a lot.

Think about it girls. Marrying money just doesn’t happen for everyone. Prince Charming with a trust fund is just about as rare as the winning lotto ticket so it’s best to have an alternate plan.

My mother always told me if you can’t marry somebody rich, marry someone who’s handy around the house. See where I’m going here?

I met my husband when I was sixteen so I have to disclose the fact that I have virtually no experience in the dating pool but I do have the wisdom that comes from living life and talking to other women. Especially women who’s husbands are fix-it or motivationally challenged. I’m lucky that mine isn’t one of those. He can do just about anything around the house. Willingness is sometimes another story but, for the most part, he gets things done.

The thing about hanging around home improvement and hardware stores is…I have to digress here as I remember going to the hardware store with my mother, grandmother and my grandmother’s sister (who was what used to be called an old maid or spinster). She never married. Anyway, I remember her marching up to the clerk and telling him she needed a long, slender screw. My mother and grandmother raced in opposite directions, howling. 

Anyway, the thing about these places is the type of guy they probably attract. You can assume he’s motivated and capable. Even if he isn’t Bob Villa, the fact that he’s willing to set foot in the store and maybe even ask questions shows effort and, maybe even, humility. Am I addressing some desirable traits so far? Of course, I forgot to mention a very important factor. His presence at one of these stores more than likely indicates he actually has a dwelling. These days, that’s not always a given.

And, think about it, this is so non-committal. You’re in control. It’s not like finding someone online and taking all of those chances or having to change your email address every week because some creep won’t take no for an answer. There’s no blind date to endure. You just lurk around, pretend to be browsing, and observe his manners, knowledge–or initiative to gain it, whether he seems to be embarking on a satisfying challenge or appears bitter and agitated at the prospect of repairing or improving his surroundings. None of these things will be hard to discern and you get to remain anonymous for as long as you want.

If you like what you see, follow him out to the parking lot. We all know someone who can run a tag, right? This, ladies, is a foolproof way to find out so many things, saving time, energy and hair gel. If it looks like a big project, even better. He’ll be back and you can ascertain whether he’s manic or even tempered by stalking, I mean, observing him over the course of a few days or weeks.

I love this plan and, since I don’t need to use it, I’m happy to share it with you. Take a notepad and make notes. No one will think anything of it in a home improvement store. Before you leave home, make a list of the traits you’re looking for and you can check them off as they seem to apply or not. Whoever thought of this, and it wasn’t me, is brilliant.

Give it a shot and see what happens. If nothing else, you’ll practice defining what you want in a man without going through the greuling process-of-elimination dating/relationship routine that so many young women waste their youth and independence, not to mention sanity, pursuing.