Brinkmann’s True Value nears opening of larger Miller Place store

Brinkmann’s True Value Hardware is nearing a move to a 30,000-square-foot Miller Place store on Route 25A, roughly three times the size of its current shop. The new building on the former Ging’s Nursery property, between McDonald’s and Walgreens, is being built to give the family-run hardware chain a larger footprint, more inventory and a stronger presence on one of the North Shore’s busiest retail strips.

Co-owner Hank Brinkmann said the family hopes to open in time to sell Christmas trees this December, but the timing will depend on Brookhaven Town issuing a certificate of occupancy after construction is finished. The current store at 900 Route 25A has long been strained by demand, and Brinkmann has said the existing space is cramped for the business the company is doing in Miller Place.

The larger store is expected to nearly double the paint department and add small-project lumber such as two-by-fours, two-by-sixes, plywood and moldings. A 4,000-square-foot garden center will anchor the south end of the building, while the company also plans for more Weber grills and a broader mix of seasonal essentials. Major appliances are not part of the plan. Those additions point to a store designed to capture more of the day-to-day shopping that now sends Miller Place residents farther afield for hardware, outdoor and yard supplies.

The staffing increase is just as notable. About 35 people are expected to work at the new store, up from about 15 now, a shift that would make Brinkmann’s one of the more visible employers on that stretch of Route 25A. Once the new location opens, the old store is expected to remain open for roughly a week of liquidation before closing its doors.

Brinkmann Hardware Corp., founded in 1976, now operates six Brinkmann’s stores and employs 105 people, with locations in Sayville, Glen Cove, Miller Place, Jamesport, Blue Point and Holbrook. The company’s broader mix of hardware, plants, outdoor living, grills and seasonal goods helps explain the scale of the Miller Place expansion, which has been in the works since 2023, when plans first surfaced to relocate a little more than a mile west to the former nursery site.

The move also fits into a changing Route 25A retail corridor. Trader Joe’s opened at 300 Route 25A in February 2026, and the grocery store’s nearby location underscores how the area is becoming a denser shopping destination. With Brookhaven Town handling the permits and approvals that control the final opening date, the timing now rests less on the building itself than on the paperwork that will let Brinkmann’s start serving customers.