Little long here...
My county is a community of around 40,000 people and one of what is called "The Circle Seven" counties that surround Indianapolis. All seven of us share a border with Marion County and all of Marion County is basically Indianapolis. My county lies south east on I-74 toward Cincinnati. It's about 18 to 20 Miles to Indy and about 80 miles to Cincinnati. While I get to the Cincinnati area several times a year I "never" shop there.
My county is the last county of the circle 7 (thankfully) to undergo intense growth. There are things we lack and do need (like any big box stores) but we don't need all of the traffic etc.
The city in the form of new houses is now about a quarter mile as the crow flies from the north-west corner of our farm. We are 3 miles to the old downtown and 2 miles to Walmart and calorie canyon. That also puts us 2 miles to a good Ace Hardware and a good sized Rural King farm store. Our Rural King store suffered horribly from a terrible manager who is gone now and it is coming back nicely. There is one 20 miles north east of us that is amazing.
We are about 20 miles in 3 directions to big box stores Lowes, Home Depot and Menards. We don't have one here but there are TSC Stores (Tractor Supply Co. farm stores) about 20 miles in all directions.
Farming has changed massively over the last 50 - 60 years. As I was growing up in the 1950's most of the farmers around us had a corner of a shed, barn or garage where they had a bucket or old wood box of a mix of odd bolts, nuts and washers (mostly used) and another of mixed nails, all sizes together. In an old tool box or burlap bag they might have had an adjustable wrench, a pipe wrench, a pair of pliers, a couple of screwdrivers and a claw hammer. Hanging on a nail would have been an old handsaw, either a crosscut or a rip saw but being used for both uses.
Most were not mechanics by any stretch. I've always considered myself lucky that since my father had worked at auto mechanics and construction some during the 1930's and at testing aircraft engines all during WW-II he was very tool and shop oriented. He was a good teacher, taking time to not just explain how to do things but also why you do them like that.
We didn't have a large shop but it was fairly well organized and had decent basic tools and equipment. We had both electric and gas welding equipment. Only a couple of neighbors did any welding at all, they had learned in the military.
In contrast today most farmers are fairly sophisticated mechanics and have some of the best equipped shops around with large inventories of fasteners and other supplies on hand.
Around here the farm stores sell maybe several times the volume of fasteners that the big box stores do. Most carry nuts and bolts etc. in grades 2, 5 and 8. They also keep some stuff in stainless steel. Don't quote me on prices but most more common stuff is sold by the pound and I seem to recall it being something like $1.79 a pound for Grade 2, $2.99 a pound for grade 5 and maybe $3.99 a pound for grade 8. I haven't been buying much lately but I need to restock a few sizes.
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