Best of old and new combine in new hardware store

Best of old and new combine in new hardware store

The new Hagan Ace Hardware store in Baker County is scheduled to open in late October.

The new Hagan Ace Hardware store under construction in Baker County will combine the best of the old and the new. The friendliness of the corner hardware store paired with the selection and up-to-date features of newer home improvement/home decor shopping will be wrapped into a total package for Hagan customers.

The store, located between Macclenny and Glen St. Mary on U.S. 90 is scheduled to open in late October. Hagan Ace currently owns eight Ace Hardware stores throughout north Florida. With locations in Jacksonville, Orange Park, Middleburg, Hilliard, Palatka, St. Augustine, Anastasia Island, and its newest store in Glen St. Mary, they understand what it takes to serve north Florida.

The newest store will allow their customers to experience the best of what a modern hardware store has to offer, but do so with a traditional and somewhat nostalgic feel of a hometown hardware store. Kevin Gowen, Director of Marketing and Advertising for Hagan Ace said: "The store will offer a bridge between today’s modern hardware experience and the service centered traditions of the old hometown hardware store of times gone by."

One of the modern features Gowen spoke of is possibly the only drive thru lumber yard in Florida. The facility will allow contractors and do-it-yourself home owners to enter the facility and hand select their lumber, load it, and exit the building with the conveniences of fewer steps in the process. Part of the nostalgia will consist of bulk candy bins, where the kids and adults alike can select and weigh out portions of their favorite candy.

The new store will carry clothing brands like Carhartt Clothing and Georgia Boots. Home decor items to include Yankee Candles, a large paint department, a pool department with testing equipment and supplies, outdoor furniture and grills, and a garden shop that will include bulk trees and many other indoor and outdoor specimen plants.

Gowen promises the official grand opening will be like no party the Macclenny - Glen St. Mary area has ever seen. Scheduled for a date to be announced in November, radio stations WQIK and WXJR will be on hand. Sthil Power Tools will have their offshore racing boat on the property, along with a multitude of many other vendors with hundreds of give-a-ways each day during the opening festivities.