Ace is the place

SUGAR GROVE – Big Rock resident Ron Weiten on Tuesday was picking up a few washers at the new Sugar Grove Ace Hardware store.

The 16,000-square-foot store opened last week at 160 E. Galena Blvd., near a Jewel-Osco store. It is the village’s first hardware store. Weiten said the store is long overdue.

“This area has needed this for some time now,” Weiten said.

The store has been doing brisk business since opening on Sept. 23, said owner Mark Driscoll, of Batavia.

“We had a lot of people over the weekend,” Driscoll said. “The overall response has been very positive.”

A grand-opening celebration is set for mid-October, he said.

This is Driscoll’s first Ace Hardware store. He spent 36 years in the grocery business, including being vice president of operations for the Jewel-Osco chain.

Not only is the store the first hardware store in Sugar Grove, but it also is the only hardware store in the Kaneland area, Driscoll said.

“There [are] enough people to support it,” he said.

The Sugar Grove Ace sells more than 30,000 items, including household supplies, lawn and garden products, automotive products and pet supplies. In addition, the store has a 4,000-square-foot garden center.

Sugar Grove Pet Supply has its own separate entrance. It is a separate business within the store, Driscoll said.

“We wanted to make it a little easier for people to run in and get pet supplies,” he said.

Sugar Grove Pet Supply sells a variety of products, including holistic and higher-protein foods, Driscoll said.

In addition, he said customers are welcome to bring their leashed and vaccinated pets in the store while they are shopping for them.

Sugar Grove Ace is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Information is available by going to www.acehardware.com.