BRISTOL, Va. – Shelves are stocked, a staff is hired and trained and doors are set to open on the first Curt’s Ace Hardware store.
The Euclid Avenue shopping center will host the new store at 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 20, 2018. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 8:30 a.m. Food City’s President and CEO Steve Smith owns and operates the new venture.
“We’re excited Bristol will be our first Ace Hardware and we’ll have five more before the year is out, right here in the Tri-Cities,”Smith said.
A Piney Flats location is to open Aug. 22, the former Mize Farm & Garden location in Gray will reopen as a Curt’s Ace Hardware in September, followed by Erwin and Elizabethton, Smith said. In 2023, they plan to open a new location in Abingdon (Virginia).
“This is different but the one thing common about this is it’s a community-based company serving our communities,”Smith said. “The old hardware stores of days gone by are becoming a thing of the past. It’s all big-box retailers and, my experience is that, not everybody wants to shop at a big-box retailer. That’s where we built our niche at Food City.”
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The Bristol store covers approximately 9,000 square foot. Other locations are likely to be similar in size.
“We think our partnership with Ace gives us the buying power of a big-box retailer but with the feel of a local store,”Smith said. “And we can get about anything people would want through Ace. That’s what our folks will endeavor to do for our customers – if we don’t have it, give us a few days and we’ll get it for you.
The name Curt’s is a tribute to Smith’s grandfather who was a merchant that ran a general mercantile store in Grundy.
“He had the Post Office inside that general mercantile store and sold everything from shoes to hardware and ran a soda fountain,”Smith said. “We wanted to honor him and identify with one of the patriarchs of our company.”
Aisles are neatly organized so do-it-yourselfers or contractors can run in to pick up plumbing components, fixtures, electrical, fasteners including bolts, screws, specialty fasteners, hardware items like door handles, drawer pulls, hinges, brackets, electrical supplies and hardware – from wire to switches to outlets and covers. A battery section has a large selection light bulbs for all types of applications as well as ladders.
The paint department is located in middle of the store. According to Kyle Geffers store manager, it is expected that it will be very popular.
Ace sells Benjamin Moore stain, paint, and other products. Ace also stocks a variety of brushes, rollers, and other painting supplies.
The store will carry a full line of Stihl power equipment, including chain saws, leaf blowers and string trimmers. The shop also offers Stihl repairs.
Ace stocks a complete line of Craftsman tools as well as some power tools.
There are sections for yard and garden supplies as well as water pipes and hose repair tools. There are many options for sprays, weed killers and insecticides. You will also find a full range of household cleaning supplies such as mops, brushes, and other tools.
They offer wire cutting and screen door repair as well as glass cutting.
Geffers stated Ace locations would also be able provide professional contractors with delivery service.
Blue Ridge Knives are available at all locations. They are a Marion wholesaler that stocks a wide variety of top-name brands.
A fenced area will be created in the parking lot to house landscaping supplies. Starting next spring, you will find mulch, rock, and other outdoor decor products.
Store hours are 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
