Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks!
Meet Our New Store Owner
Hello!
My name is John Mecham and I would like to introduce myself as the new owner of Maple Leaf Ace Hardware. As of the year 2022 I have been privileged with the opportunity to oversee our neighborhood store which has been given to me by my mentors and predecessors Mike and Kathy. Many of you may recognize me, as I have been serving and growing in this store for the last 20+ years. I am honored to continue serving our local community as well as maintaining alignment with the values we have always upheld. I look forward to seeing familiar faces and making new acquaintances and I hope to see you in our store soon.
Thank you,
John Mecham
1950 Stewart Hall > 1973 Tom & Karen Stephenson > 2005 Mike Kelley & Kathy Stephenson > 2022 John Mecham
Our Store History :
1940’s Safeway store 9000 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle, WA
1940’s Safeway flooring; red and green tile
THROUGH THE YEARS
1940
Remnants of the once quaint Safeway store from the 1940’s can still be seen at our location to this day. It can be found in the building’s façade and the parking lot layout and even the red and green floor tiles that we walk on everyday. We are proud of the established roots of our store and relish in its timeline.
1973
In 1973 the store transitioned from Hall’s Hardware store into The Stephenson’s Hardware store. Once Tom and Karen Stephenson purchased it from Stewart Hall they began creating a friendly neighborhood place for ready advice and the latest products that could not be found anywhere else.
2005
In 2005 the store reached another pinnacle moment when it joined the co-op with Ace hardware. Mike Kelley (from Reckless Video) and Kathy Stephenson continued the store’s legacy by serving “hardware with heart” to the Maple Leaf community.
2022
In 2022 the responsibility of the store was passed onto John Mecham. A rising local who started at the bottom rung of the company in the year 2000. John has been serving the customers loyally throughout the years and has gained vast amounts of knowledge in all areas of the store.
+
These walls have seen lots of changes through the last sixty + years but what remains is the consistent dedication to serving up real hardware with real service.
So what are we?
Small business? Retailer Co-op? Franchise?
We are an independently owned and operated local business. Our small business owner has an agreement with Ace Hardware Corporation to use them as our primary supplier. We are part of a co-op. This agreement allows any Ace store to cooperate together to negotiate better pricing and to get a better selection of products. While Ace is our store’s primary vendor we still reserve the right to choose what products or brands to carry in our store and what services to offer in order to serve our specific community and our region.
Each individual store is unique and works hard to customize its selections. That’s why it’s very difficult to find two stores exactly alike. Just like choosing our supplier, our store can also choose to participate in any programs like Ace Rewards and any sales events. We recommend contacting your local store with questions or for any further details, after all, this is the place with the helpful hardware folks.
Ace Hardware History
About Ace Hardware
We are your local hardware store and we are a part of your community. Ace Hardware has over 5,000 stores around the world with the majority of those stores independently owned and operated by local entrepreneurs. These hard working men and women are part of the fabric of your community. They are small business owners who are local and loyal…just like it ought to be. While others have become large and impersonal, at Ace, we’ve remained small and very personal. That’s why we say a visit to Ace, is like a visit to your neighbor.
Ace stores come in all sizes and shapes based on the needs of each individual neighborhood. We have small, urban stores, large rural stores and everything in between. Ace stores offer a wide variety of paint, lawn and garden, tools, local niche services and virtually anything you’ll ever need to fix, repair and maintain your home. And of course, Ace is most certainly the place with the HELPFUL HARDWARE FOLKSTM
Founded in 1924 by a small group of Chicago hardware store owners, Ace changed the retail landscape by allowing individual stores to purchase merchandise in bulk to save money and buy at the lowest possible price. This partnership enabled even the smaller stores to compete effectively at retail despite larger stores in their market. And to this very day, Ace Hardware Corporation is still owned solely and exclusively by the local Ace retail entrepreneurs. For the latest in company news, visit the Ace Newsroom via the link below.
Thanks for reading about our journey. Now for a far more personal form of service, be sure to visit us at your local Ace Store. And the moment you walk in the door, you’ll know why we are Ace… the Helpful Place.