Long-sought hardware store opens in Hoffman Estates

The co-owner of a long-awaited Ace Hardware store in Hoffman Estates shared the joy of his opening day with customers and even village officials Tuesday.

"It's a passion and this was my dream," said Mike Patel of Schaumburg, who along with his wife, Nina, and business partner, Rushi Shah, will operate the Ace at 675 W. Golf Road.

Patel, who said his new business has been recognized as the first Ace Hardware in the nation owned and operated by Indian-Americans, built his knowledge and love of the industry during 24 years working at an Ace in Skokie.

"I see every town wants what I'll call a real hardware store, with the service that they want," Patel said.

Several first-day customers agreed that's exactly what they want.

Butch Kribbs of Hoffman Estates said he sees a neighborhood hardware store like an Ace as significantly different from a big-box home-improvement warehouse.

"Things are easier to find," he said. "You don't have to walk up and down a block to find something, or even just someone to help you."

Dan Callender of Hoffman Estates said the bigger stores have their place but aren't what he needs most often.

"I could spend a day in there trying to find a washer," he said of the larger outfits. "(I want) the person standing there willing to help you. Not everyone is a contractor. That is why Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg needed an Ace Hardware."

For Hoffman Estates Economic Development Director Kevin Kramer, the opening marked the end of a yearslong personal quest.

"It's a big win," he said. "We're really excited about it. This has been one of goals of our village board for a long time."

Among the reasons villages like Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg have struggled to get local hardware stores is the slim profit margins in that industry that make it difficult to keep up with area rental rates and Cook County taxes.

The owner of the strip center at the southwest corner of Golf and Higgins roads played no small part in making the Ace Hardware possible, Kramer said.

It was the landlord who agreed to apply for a Cook County Class 7C property tax incentive on the hardware store's behalf.

Schaumburg Economic Development Manager Matt Frank has been on the same quest for his village.

Though the new Ace Hardware in Hoffman Estates will be convenient for some residents of Schaumburg, he said it remains a goal to find such a store for a more central location in the village.

"We think there's a large enough population to support it," Frank said.