Leave it to a general contractor to best put into perspective the significance of a new, full-service hardware store opening in the central core of Bend, filling the void of Masterson-St. Clair Hardware that closed its doors nearly six years ago.
“I speak from over 30 years of experience in the general contracting business in this area when I tell you that these folks will provide the service that has been lacking ever since Masterson-St. Clair closed their doors,” said Mike Dasen of Spring River Builders. “I’ve worked closely with everyone involved in this venture, and I guarantee you that they will deliver the service for both contractors on big jobs or homeowners simply fixing something around the house.”
Dasen should know. He has spent the past three months transforming the aging Amazing Deals retail store (next to Safeway on Greenwood and Third Street) into the sparkling 19,880 square foot Bend Ace Hardware and Paint Store. This beautiful new store stocks over 30,000 products and offers a variety of specialty services under one newly painted roof.
Dasen and his veteran crew of subcontractors gutted the interior of the old discount store, adding a new self-leveling concrete floor, beautiful new bathrooms, new windows and entry doors, lighting, drywall and a fresh coat of paint.
The outside never looked better with two new dormers above the main entry, outlay tile on the entry columns, and a two-tone color mix of boutique baize and mocha brown. The freshness of this new façade is tied together with a newly painted roof that extends the entire length of the center.
The store will open on June 11 with a grand opening set for June 22-24. The grand opening events includes; live remote radio broadcasts, concert ticket giveaways, chain saw sculpting, dance exhibitions, clowns, face painting, food, and of course, lots of great deals throughout the store. The grand opening festivities will conclude on Sunday, June 24th with a $1,000 Ace Shopping Spree Giveaway.
“The design of this store, along with our highly trained staff, focuses on helping consumers solve their home improvement challenges,” said Manager Jerry Kaping. “This environment not only makes shopping for hardware supplies a less daunting and intimidating task for do-it-yourselfers, but it also creates a unique and helpful shopping experience.”
The major departments—from hardware to plumbing; outdoor living to automotive—are clearly marked and easily accessible with well-trained professionals on hand to answer any questions or offer helpful tips.
Upon entering customers are immediately greeted by the Color Your Life Paint Center where a homeowner can chose from three lines of paint—Ace, Laura Ashley Home Colour Collection or Rodda . A state of the art color match computer system allows painters to get a perfect color match. The paint department offers a huge selection of basic painting supplies as well as everything you need to do a beautiful Faux Finish. five gallon buckets are available for big jobs.
Looking for a specialty item? Bend Ace Hardware and Paint features the most extensive fastener department east of the Cascades with bulk bins and bolt bars filled with thousands of hard-to-find nuts, bolts, screws and washers from The Hillman Group based in Cincinnati, Ohio. There are also chrome-plated fasteners for autos and motorcycles.
Power tools? Bend Ace Hardware and Paint carries a large variety of tools, including; DeWalt, Black & Decker, Mikita, Skil, and more. All priced competitively.
Other on-site services include; hydraulic hose repair, blade sharpening, glass-cutting, engraving, pipe threading, paint color matching and key making. “The store is bigger than most of our cooperatives and tailored to the region, said Tiffany Spaulding of Ace Hardware.
“The biggest focus here will be on customer service. Kaping hired his own employees, who in turn, stocked the entire store, so they know where virtually everything is in the store to give prompt, helpful service.”
The landmark in the store will be a 1932 Ford pickup truck that will carry truckload sale items in the bed. Bend Ace Hardware and Paint will offer monthly best buys that are very competitive with the big box stores, a rewards program and convenient gift cards.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, store staff can order from over 67,000 items stocked at the Ace Distribution Center and have them shipped locally, usually within just a couple of days. There are over 570,000 additional items available in the Ace catalog.
The local store is part of a two million square foot expansion that Ace Hardware Corporation plans to open in 2007 through branch stores, conversions from other cooperatives and new investors.
Ace Hardware is the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the hardware industry with annual sales surpassing $13 billion. The cooperative currently has more than 4,800 stores spread between 50 states and 70 countries.
“We’ve designed this store with one key element in mind—our customers,” Kaping said. “We wanted to provide our customers the ultimate helpful shopping experience. With our new store, we not only will be able to provide that service to them, we’ll actually focus on exceeding their expectations each time they walk through our doors.”
Bend Ace Hardware
Parent Company: Mitchell Hardware, Inc
Contractor: Spring River Builders
Project Manager: Mike Dasen
Square Footage: 19,880
Financing: Private
Subcontractors & Supliers: Oregon Doorways, GTS Interior Supply, Parr Lumber, Stand Paint & Ablom Carpet, Hoag Construction, Firkus Plumbing, Mid Oregon Electrical, Cascade Building Supply, Kelvic Disposal, Advanced Systems, We Cut Concrete, Mike McGovern Concrete Construction, Alpine Glass, Bend Heating & Sheetmetal, Young’s Insulation, Rick Chamberlain Drywall, Bend Fire Protection, Carlson Sign, RSC Rentals, Lakeside Lumber, Bar-C-Bar Plastering, LTE Construction, Reign on Roofing, Cascade Door, Mark Wirges Masonry, Artistic Tile, Jon Small Welding, Vyanet and Drescher Construction.
