The Express Ace Hardware store in Davis ceases operations, leaving Davis with one Ace Hardware location
By HANNAH SCHRADER — city@theaggie.org
The Aggie Ace Hardware located at 606 West Covell Blvd. in the Anderson Plaza shopping center shut its doors on May 31, almost 11 years after its opening on July 30, 2012. The closure was a result of multiple factors, according to the CEO of Crown Ace Hardware, Mark Schulein.
“A number of key factors came into play,” Schulein said via email. “First, small stores like this cannot carry as wide of a selection of products as larger stores. While it was full of products, it still could not be as complete as many customers may have needed or wanted. […] Ultimately, for a number of reasons including the one above, this store just did not perform well enough which frankly means that we did not have enough customers shopping there. We have had a great team, we have reinvested in the store, inventory and our folks; and yet it still never hit levels needed to support this location.”
Schulein also addressed the possibility of future Ace Hardware closures.
“I don’t think that is the case,” Schulein said. “The reason for any store closing is generally similar to the reasons that Aggie Ace is closing, but in total the total number of Ace stores in the U.S. has been growing annually for years. From my experience, success in retail stores first comes down to the old adage of ‘location, location, location.’ A great store on the wrong corner of the right intersection may still not survive. Great products and great people may not be enough to overcome such issues. Fortunately, downtown Davis Ace has been serving Davis customers for over 100 years and we expect it to do so for another 100.”
Ace Hardware published a report about the first fiscal quarter of 2023, which notes that there was a decrease in company-wide revenue.
“Ace Hardware Corporation (“Ace” or the “Company”) today reported first quarter 2023 revenues of $2.1 billion, a decrease of $127.4 million, or 5.8 percent, from the first quarter of 2022,” read the report.
Schulein also touched on how the closure of the store was handled.
“Our team was brought into the loop a few months ago, shortly after the final determination was made,” Schulein said. “However, all of our current team members in Aggie Ace will be relocating to our other stores in the area including downtown Davis Ace and Dixon Ace Hardware. These stores will benefit from having our great Aggie folks joining the teams in these locations.”
Schulein also commented on the future of the property in the Anderson Plaza.
“I am unclear what the landlord will do with this space but I do know that they have been actively working on it and striving to provide a tenant that will be a benefit to the community and the [shopping] center,” Schulein said.
Schulein took a moment to thank the customers of Ace Hardware in Davis for supporting the company.
“Finally, let me say thank you to our customers in Aggie and downtown Davis Ace,” Schulein said. “We are grateful for your ongoing support and we really try to be a valuable resource to the community. We are sorry if the closing of Aggie Ace impacts you but hope you’ll find that downtown Davis Ace, which has a full nursery, rockyard, and a store that is 5x larger than Aggie Ace, has everything you need for your home or business; and we have an awesome team waiting there to serve you.”
Written by: Hannah Schrader — city@theaggie.org
