BY PHIL CUSTODIO
Clarkston News Editor
Renovating the Clarkston Ace Hardware store on Dixie Highway has been a seven-days-a-week project for new owners Jason and Melanie Haley since the beginning of September.
“It was well overdue for an overhaul,” Jason said. “We changed the layout completely to make the store easier to shop, get in and out of, and get service.”
The new layout is more efficient, allowing double the product, which was adjusted for the local market.
Work so far has included new LED lights, new paint, polished concrete floors, and wood floor in the paint department. They’re almost ready to restock, a three-week process requiring seven truckloads of product.
A former stock room is also being renovated into a classroom and meeting space, said Melanie, a decorative painter.
“We’re calling it the community room –we’re proud of it,” she said.
They’ll use it for classes on decorative painting and various how-to’s. When it’s not being used for that, they’ll offer it to local scout troops, chamber of commerce, and other community groups at no charge.
“We’ll be part of the community, neighbors serving neighbors,” she said.
The Haleys live in Clarkston, with Jason working at the corporate level for Ace Hardware for 15 years.
“When the store was available, we jumped on it,” he said.
The store will open to the public on Oct. 24, with grand opening celebrations in November. For more information, call 248-795-5004.