After reading about Claytons Hardware in Fifty Shades of Grey, I was curious to find out if it really existed here in the Portland area. After I searched online and in the area I came up empty and decided that it was a fictional named store. It was on my list of filming locations to visit in Vancouver B.C.

I soon read that they were using Ladner Village Hardware, 4821 Delta St., Ladner, Canada, as the filming location for Claytons. Ladner Village is a quaint town in the Delta area south west of Vancouver B.C. The whole village is made up of older looking buildings with peak roofs and lots of old world charm. This is a heritage community with wide, boulevarded sidewalks, open-air cafes and local shops. There are some heritage residences in this area, mostly built in the 1930s, but apartment complexes replaced many of them some decades back. The Delta Museum and Archives are in the center of Ladner Village, along with a town clock that is amongst the oldest in the Lower Mainland. Its about a 20 minute drive from downtown Vancouver B.C. For the filming it looked like they used the indoors and front entrance of the building. When I walked into the store it immediatley struck me as going back in time.  The old linoleum floors and narrow aisles added to the feeling. The shelves were packed with everything you would expect in a hardware store, plus other everyday items and some childrens toys too.For the filming Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan were on hand to play out the book part where Christian Grey shows up at her work and purchases some rope, cable ties, masking tape and coveralls. He then leaves the store.

++UPDATE: On my recent return to the hardware store I found the spot where the scene is filmed towards the back of the store. While taking some photos the owner of the store came over and we chatted for a while about the filming in the store. He pulled out his phone and shared some photos he took during the  filming but I wasnt able to copy them. He told me that they spent 6 days preparing the store for filming and then filmed here for 2 days. They took out two long rows of shelving units and all the materials on them. They filled up two storage containers of materials from the store. Then replaced items on the shelves and moved some of it around. The aisle where we see Christian in the movie trailer is the only aisle left intact on that side of the store. The others next to that were cleared out. All the shelving was cleared and moved around to accommodate new items brought in for the filming.

Near the front of the store one corner area was restocked with nautical items and appropriate pictures. Adjacent to that one long wall was lined up with various types of rope. They brought in huge reels of ropes with some costing up to $5,000. The filming took place in the back area of the store where they restocked the end shelving units with items related to the Claytons in the book. The zip ties were moved to be on the shelf on the aisle that Christian walks down and says “Are You Free?”.  Adjacent to that is the masking tapes. The front counter that you see when entering the store was partially replaced with drawers and shelving behind it.

The owner chatted with me and shared information and photos from the filming in the store. He left during the set up and filming. At one point he had to come into the store and return to his office area in the back. His office was being used by E L James, Dana Brunetti and director Sam Taylor Johnson. He spoke with Sam Taylor Johnson and she was completely accommodating and let him get in his office with no problem. Other film productions have used this store for filming and he said that this production crew was the best he’s worked with.

After seeing the moving trailer it is clear that they filmed two different scenes here at the hardware store. One is evening with Taylor on hand to guide Ana to the car. The other is when she leaves in her car Wanda.

More photos in the Photo Gallery

Here is the wall of rope in a clip from the movie.

These areas were turned into cable ties and masking tape.

The front counter was transformed with more shelves and drawers across the back.

This corner was changed to nautical items and boat supplies.

These ends were reshelved with tape and other items.

This long wall on the right was filled with reels of ropes.