Ace Hardware gets into the ‘swim’

Pools are plentiful in Maricopa, but to keep them clean and clear it takes regular maintenance. Enter Ace Hardware in Maricopa. Ace is opening a full service, seven-day-a-week pool supply store within its existing location, which will offer a full line of pool chemicals, supplies and pool toys.

“We are going to have repair parts, water testing chemicals, toys and outdoor living items.” said Ace Hardware co-owner Tom Bechtel. “This is a store within a store.”

One of the outdoor items Bechtel said he was most excited about was a line of ceramic grills. “They are something most people in this area have not seen.” The local Ace is one of the test markets in which the new concept is being debuted.

“Our whole slogan is ‘get in, get out and get on with your day,’” Bechtel said. “This store just further supports that statement.”

To help facilitate the new store, Bechtel has brought in two people trained in the pool industry and has begun to cross-train other employees in the store. “The people running this store are experts in their craft,” he said.

While the concept of having “a pool store within the hardware store” is new, carrying pool supplies is not, Bechtel said. “We have had a pool section for years now, but it seems each year the section just continued to grow.”

The services offered at the store will include water testing, supply sales and equipment repair. “Typical pool stores have relatively short hours and are not open on Sundays,” Bechtel said. “Our pool store will be open seven days a week, the same hours as the Ace Hardware store.”

The store is hosting a soft opening throughout the month of February and will have its own check-out counter. However, the official grand opening will not occur until March. “Come March, we will have a big grand opening party with free food and more,” Bechtel said.

Photo by Jim Williams