The argument against another Home Depot in Thousand Oaks isn't just about its competition with Do-it Center. Neither is it only about the Environmental Impact Report or the traffic.

Home Depot stores obviously have their place in the retail spectrum; they succeed because they serve a broad customer base and their prices are low.

But i f I want attentive, knowledgeable personal service, I need the small business retailer who cares about each customer, whether it's for hardware, tools or any specialized item.

There's a "dictatorship of uniformity" in every Home Depot store: they carry only what they choose to carry, selected by a computer strictly on the basis of sales volume. If they were the only store of their kind- which I'm sure is their ultimate goal- there would be a lot of things I often need that would no longer be available.

I won't bore you with a bunch of examples, but rest assured Home Depot does not have everything. Tough luck if I need metric Allen bolts or stainless wire- and do you think they care?

And remember that the quantity of their total sales is a lot more important to Home Depo's "bean counters" than is the quality of the merchandise or the convenience for the often confused shopper. We still need the quality, the service, the experience, and the choices that can only be offered by a healthy variety of vendors.

The big box stores cannot and will not do it all.

Newbury Park Hardware is gone now, strangled by Home Depot- I have to wonder, who's next? Pete Gerard Thousand Oaks