Ace Hardware to open in Barrington

Once again, Barrington has been able to rely on a local resident to help provide the village with a long demanded new business.

Before it was Bryan McGonigal who helped satisfy demand for an Irish pub by opening McGonigal’s in 2010 in the heart of the downtown.

This time, it’s John Brown who has answered the call for a new hardware store by arranging for an Ace Hardware franchise on Northwest Highway.

Since the village’s last Ace Hardware sold its building several years ago, Barrington residents have had to go elsewhere for their hardware needs — something many weren’t happy about, Economic and Community Development Director Peggy Blanchard said.

“The hardest part was finding the location,” she said of the new business.

The building that was found is the current Fisher Nut store at 906 S. Northwest Highway, which is just under 10,000 square feet.

Brown said the size allows for the full-service hardware store residents have asked for, but its location was just as important.

“The biggest advantage is the amount of traffic that flows by on Northwest Highway,” Brown said.

Though this is a new venture for Brown, he said retail is in his blood — having served as regional vice president of field sales for Estee Lauder cosmetics for 27 years.

Brown’s application for a special use permit is expected to be considered by the village plan commission on Aug. 7 and the village board on Aug. 20. If he receives final approval then, he expects to start making the renovations that would allow him to open for business in mid-November.

“I think there’s a lot of pent-up demand,” Brown said.

With the Irish pub and hardware store now off the to-do list, Blanchard said the next business she’s hearing the most demand for is a new Dairy Queen to replace the one that long stood along Route 59. The village is already pursuing that possibility, she said.