Sliding glass doors open to an expansive room occupied only by a few construction workers, their ladder and scattered power tools.
The dusty tiled floors will soon be polished and packed wall-to-wall with shelves of home improvement and lawn care products.
It’s the new home of Ace Peninsula Hardware, located right across the street from the Williamsburg Shopping Center which they’ve called home since 1989. Ace will be moving into a parcel between Soaps & Suds and Earth Fare in the Monticello Shopping Center this fall.
Moving in
Staff will begin setting up shelving and moving inventory over to the new store as soon as this week, owner Kevin Deaver said. The flooring, lighting and ceiling are fully done in the new spot with plans of Denver getting the keys on Monday.
They’re aiming to reopen in the new spot by the first full week of November.
“We’ve never moved the store before, so we’re kind of speculating,” he said with a chuckle.
Deaver says he hopes the transition will be seamless, but anticipates the original store will have to close for a time before the new store opens.
“We’d love to stay open if we could, but if I were to guess we’ll probably have to close for a couple days,” he said. “We’re pretty excited and ready to get it started, and finished.”
Ace’s new location will have much more visibility than their current one, as it faces Monticello Avenue. Currently, Ace is tucked behind Food Lion, with only a street sign alerting Richmond Road’s drivers that the hardware store is there at all.
Bigger and more convenient
The new store will also be larger and will provide Deaver the opportunity to lay out the store’s departments in a manner more convenient for shoppers. In the current location, Deaver said some of their most popular departments are constrained to corners of the store.
The power equipment and lawn and garden department are two of Ace’s highest-selling sections, Deaver said, and they will be immediately to the left when customers enter the store. Housewares and paint will be directly to the right of the center aisle.
“It’ll be right in your face right as you walk in,” Deaver said.
Ace is moving as part of the redevelopment of Midtown Row — a mixed-use renovation of the Williamsburg and Monticello Shopping Centers that will include the addition of new commercial tenants and residential units above the ground floor.
Working with landlord Broad Street Realty, which bought both shopping centers in 2017, Ace announced their plans to move in the spring.
Word has traveled since then, and longtime shoppers are planning to follow Ace across the street.
“Most of our customers know,” Deaver said, “but still we get asked 50 times a day.”
Deaver is planning a grand opening the first weekend in December. Customers can expect special events all weekend, including 20 percent off bag sales on Saturday, free grilled food on Sunday and coupons and giveaways all weekend. More details will be announced closer to the grand opening.
