There are quite a few hardware stores in Puerto Armuelles, and one of my favorites is Casa Cheong. They are located just to the left of Romero’s Supermarket on Avenida San José. Here you can find most of the supplies needed to complete your home improvement projects.
One of the things I love the most about Casa Cheong is that customers are always greeted with a big smile by the helpful ladies who work at the counter, Mari and Lacie. Most hardware stores in Panama are set up with a counter in the front where you tell the salesperson what you are looking for and they go retrieve it in the back area. If Mr. Cheong’s son is behind the counter, he speaks fluent English. The other employees speak a little and are eager to help. When you are unable to explain in Spanish what you want to purchase, there are three options I’ve found for getting your point across. 1 – Pull up a photo of what you are looking for on your cell phone. 2 – Use the Google Translate App on your cell phone. 3 – Ask to go with them to the warehouse behind the counter and look for yourself. The staff are super friendly!
I go to Casa Cheong’s for just about everything, from window screen material to screws. If they don’t have what you need on hand, they are happy to order it for you and it will usually be in Puerto in a few days. They also offer free delivery in town if you purchase large items that require a truck to transport. They carry quite a few construction materials too, like cement blocks, sand and gravel, and lumber.
Father Cheong & son Adrian
Mr. Cheong is the owner and his son, Adrian, is often in the store helping. Adrian is actually a licensed attorney in Panama but he told me that he found that occupation to be too stressful, so he gave up the profession to work with his dad at the “stress-free” ferreteria. I get that!
Casa Cheong is open:
Monday – Satrurday from 8am – 6pm
Sunday 9am – 12 noon.
You can reach them at 770-7496
