Popular intown Ace Hardware operator Zach Stafford is bringing his business to the burbs. A newly updated site plan and permits recently filed with Cobb County confirm that a new outpost of Shep's Ace Hardware is coming to Parkaire Landing ( 640 Johnson Ferry Road ), a Kroger-anchored shopping center along Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb.
Stafford currently operates two intown Ace locations including one at SkyHouse South at the corner of 7th and Juniper Streets in Midtown (opened 2015) and another at Larkin on Memorial along Memorial Drive in Grant Park (opened 2017).
According to a Cobb County building permit, Stafford plans to spend at least $190,000 converting the former dialysis space to suit his needs.
Shep's won't be the first Ace in East Cobb. East Cobb Hardware, also an Ace-affiliated shop, has been an area mainstay since 1955, according to its website. East Cobb Ace Hardware is located in Shallowford Falls (3162 Shallowford Road), another Kroger-anchored center, about five miles from Shep's, at the intersection of Shallowford and Johnson Ferry Roads.
2024 marks Ace Hardware's 100th year in business. Founded in 1924 as "Ace Stores," the company changed its name to "Ace Hardware Corporation" in 1931. Today Ace Hardware and its independent owners operate 4,000 stores nationwide, including 143 in Georgia, according to the Ace Hardware website.
Ace Hardware stores are typically found in neighborhood strip centers and cater to communities that may not have a nearby full-service Home Depot or Lowe's but have customers with small household projects to take care of. Another compelling element of the Ace product mix is their variety of non-hardware products like novelties, toys, gadgets, "As Seen on TV" items, gifts, and more.
Weber, Craftsman, Toro, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Benjamin Moore, Trager, STIHL, YETI, and Atlanta's Big Green Egg are among the brands carried at most Ace Hardware stores.
According to a source familiar with the merchant's plans, the hope is to have Shep's Ace Hardware open in East Cobb late this spring.
Ponce City Market and Buckhead Village District owner Jamestown purchased Parkaire Landing for $42.1 million in early 2018. In the years since, the center has added several new restaurants including Flying Biscuit Cafe, McCray's Tavern, Gusto, and Crumbl, among others.
Are you excited about the opening of Shep's Ace Hardware in East Cobb? Do you think the area can support two Ace Hardware stores so close to each other? What other types of businesses would you like to see open in East Cobb?
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