Major remodel awaits customers at Susanville’s Ace Hardware
Rick Buck, the manager of Susanville Ace Hardware, shows off the plans for the store’s new layout.With the holidays quickly upon us, do-it-yourselfers and homebodies alike always seem to need that essential something to complete a vital last-minute project, and as it has for many years, Susanville’s Ace Hardware has exactly what they need.
But customers should be prepared for the store’s brand-new look as it’s undergoing a major remodel, scheduled to be completed right before Christmas.
According to Susanville Ace Hardware, “During the months of November and December the store will be making room for thousands of new products and changes to the layout. New products will range across all departments and are focused on the local needs of Susanville customers. This will include a much wider selection of products in many categories, more depth in core products, an entirely new fasteners section called ‘The Speed Shop,’ a big grilling and outdoor department and many other additions that will be awesome additions to the store.”
The store dropped its familiar Billington moniker after Crown Ace Hardware in Huntington Beach bought the store a couple of years ago, and the new owners and staff are dedicated to serving the Susanville community better than ever.
“That’s one of the big things — the service that Ace always gives consistently,” said store manager Rick Buck, who’s been with the company 10 years. “Our company wants to take that to the next level.”
With 21 successful Ace Hardware stores and 60 years of experience, the company really knows what it’s doing. In the Northern California area alone, the company owns stores in Susanville, South Lake Tahoe, Davis, Dixon, Rio Vista and Calistoga. There are four stores in Arizona, one in Hawaii and the rest are in Southern California. Despite owning all those stores, Susanville is the first one in a winter climate, and it also is one of the company’s largest stores at about 20,000 square feet.
“It’s been a learning experience for the company,” Buck said of running a store in snow country.
The knowledge and experience gained from owning so many Ace Hardware stores for so long benefits the customer.
“We’ve got a good support team, and they look at everything very closely,” Buck said. “We run all our stores the same way, and they’re all connected. It makes the process a lot easier.”
A whole new look
When customers enter Susanville Ace Hardware, originally built as a JC Penny’s store, one of the first things they’ll notice is the changes to floor. The old tiles are gone, and the floor is now polished concrete, and it looks great. They’ll also notice the cash register area includes all new fixtures, new cash registers and racks of impulse items such as candy and last-minute necessities such as glue or batteries shoppers may have forgotten.
“It’s going to look super sharp once it’s done,” Buck said. “It’s just a process to get there. Please bear with us while we’re making all these changes.”
While the store’s closed in the evening, two different teams work to complete the make-over.
One team works on the polished concrete floor. The old tiles had to be removed, and the team used grinders and other machinery to smooth out the concrete, fill in the cracks and then polish the floor until it shines.
A second team of merchandizing specialists work to build new shelving and make sure every item is exactly where it should be located in the store.
“Everything in the store is moving around,” Buck said of that painstaking and well-planned process.
Customers are sure to notice all the rows of merchandise now run the same way.
“The plumbing aisles are being turned, and now we’ll be able to walk down the main aisle and see everything,” Buck said. “It’s going to be a lot better flow.”
Power tool users will find that section remains near the front of the store, but all the nuts and bolts will now be at the rear of the store.
The builder’s hardware section — gate henges and items such as that will now all be Ace products which gives customers a better selection and better pricing, too.
Service, hours and parking will not be affected during the remodel, and products will be available throughout; so ask any team member for help if you’re not finding items where they ‘used’ to be located.
Susanville Ace Hardware said, “This will be a terrific improvement for the store and the community, and we hope you come down to check out our progress. For more information on our remodel, please visit us at 2950 Main Street or call (530) 257-4117.”
