New Ace Hardware rising on site of previous store Antioch

Ace is the place, again.

Less than two years after an Ace Hardware closed its doors in Antioch, another Ace is rising in almost the exact spot.

The original store, located at the southeast corner of routes 173 and 59, was torn down a little over a year ago.

Construction has now started on the new store, and Vice President of Operations Rich Laskowski says despite the tough economy and competition from nearby Menards, he's confident the business will thrive.

"We've done market studies that indicate the location and need for our store is strong," Laskowski said. "Competition is competition. The big box stores do their thing and we do ours. Not everyone wants to shop at the big stores."

Laskowski's confidence is grounded in his family's history of owning Ace stores. The Antioch store will be the family's eighth.

The first store opened in 1962 in Round Lake. Since then, they've added stores in Libertyville, Gurnee, Grayslake, Waukegan, Mundelein and Wauconda.

Having a helpful hardware man in town is welcomed by Antioch Mayor Larry Hanson. The town's other small hardware store, True Value, closed in 2008.

"This is will fill a big void in town," Hanson said. "We miss the smaller hardware stores very much. It's good for the handyman or people who want advice on their home repair projects. It's a very hands-on kind of place."

Construction on the 26,000-square-foot store is in the early stages. Laskowski expects the doors to open next spring. The store will employ at least 50 people, he said. The size of the store is similar to the previous Ace.

The Oak Brook-based corporation has 4,600 stores and generates annual retail sales of more than $13 billion, according to the company's Web site.