Ace Hardware to Close Permanently Wednesday

Buffeted by competition from nearby big box stores, the on Elk Grove-Florin Road will close its doors Wednesday, owner Mary Lawrence told Elk Grove Patch.

Nearby Ace stores in Galt and Sheldon, also owned by Lawrence and her husband, will remain open.

"They're both exclusive to their communities," Lawrence said. "But here we've got Lowe's and Home Depot within driving distance."

With other shopping options available, Lawrence said, revenue at the store was simply not high enough to cover costs like payroll and rising rent. Merchandise at the store will be marked down 40 percent through Wednesday, she said. 

The building has operated as a hardware store for more than 30 years. Customers lamented the store's closure in a forum on Elk Grove Online recently.

"Was hoping against hope that the rumor we heard some time ago was wrong," one commenter wrote. "It's quite a loss to the community!"

Ace Hardware Corporation is a cooperative that owners of individual stores buy into, allowing them to purchase products from a central warehouse. The owners then make their own decisions about how to run stores.

The store on Elk Grove Florin just south of Elk Grove Blvd was originally owned by another local family, the Youngs, under the names Coast to Coast and TruValue. Lawrence and her husband purchased it five years ago and converted it into an Ace, she said. Young Enterprises still owns the building; it's listed for lease online at $1.30 per square foot.