GENEVA – It seems that Geneva is destined to have an Ace Hardware after all.
George Havliceck of Havliceck Builders in Geneva is in talks with strip mall landlord William Rosenfelder to reopen the shuttered store at 617 W. State St., Geneva.
While the two parties are in positive negotiations, the lease has not yet been signed, Rosenfelder said.
"We have a letter of intent from George Havliceck to have a hardware store there," Rosenfelder said. "He's always had an urge to have an Ace Hardware store."
The goal is to have the store open by December or January, he said.
"I've been talking about it for 20 years," Havliceck said of always wanting to own an Ace Hardware. "My wife can't get me to go shopping, but I can go into a hardware store and spend forever – especially the Ace Hardware stores.
"I was pursuing other areas with Ace, and then unfortunately for others, fortunately for me, this wound up becoming available," Havliceck said. "I'm excited about it."
Havliceck is so enthralled with owning an Ace Hardware store, his Lexus has a Chicago Blackhawks vanity plate that says: ACE.
Havliceck also credited his wife, Lynn, with supporting his idea.
"There is nothing I do that I don't confer with her about it," Havliceck said. "She owns and runs our cabinet stores. She will design and help with the layout of the store and what type of products to have, outside of basic hardware."
Havliceck said his Geneva building and cabinet businesses will continue.
The previous owners of the Geneva Ace Hardware changed its affiliation to Do It Best Cooperative. Then they moved to the former Dominick's at 2038 Route 38 in St. Charles after Rosenfelder evicted them.
Barely six months after opening in St. Charles, Michael and Cindy Dickson closed the second location Aug. 1, according to a voicemail message connected with a phone number posted at the store.
