About
The company, which was founded to provide a centralized
purchasing organization to supply the founders' stores and
others, was incorporated in 1928 as Ace Stores Inc. Its retail
network expanded to hundreds of dealers by 1949, when
annual sales reached about $10 million.
A mural advertisement for Arrow Ace Hardware in St. Peter,
Minnesota.
After Hesse retired in 1973, Ace was sold to its retailers,
becoming a cooperative, and the headquarters moved to
suburban Oak Brook. Independent owners became dealer-
owners and shareholders in the company. Because it's a co-op
and not a franchise, each Ace store looks different. Ace has
placed a focus on Ace stores exhibiting some similar
characteristics, such as signaled and core product lines. The
Vision 21 program, as this is called, is aimed to make all stores
look identical.