Business: Buikema’s ACE Hardware
Address: 963 W. 75th St., Naperville
Phone/Website: (630) 355-3993, www.ACEhardware.com
General manager: Amanda Mueller, 27, of Wheaton
Years in business? 73
What does your business do? “Everyone thinks that we do hardware, but we’re more in the business of people. If you go to Home Depot, Menards, Lowe’s, you’re getting hardware. You come here, you’re getting people who know (hardware) and can help and want to help,” Mueller said. “People will drive out of their way for ACE Hardware. ... If they can get someone to help them and walk them through, that’s us.”
Do people feel more connected here? “When customers come here, it’s a sense of we’re your neighbors. We know the problems they may face. For the most part, the people working in our stores have hands-on experience doing those things. ... I have a former electrician here. I’ve got people who are great with plumbing. We specialize in product knowledge. ... And we try to cross train so anybody can help you anywhere. ... Half the time, you go into a big box store and walk up to someone, they say, ‘This is not my department, I can’t help you.’ You walk up to someone here, if that person can’t help you, we find someone who can.”
Are big box stores your biggest competition? “I don’t think they’re a big challenge. ... We are a smaller box, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do what the big box stores do. Just because Home Depot or Menards may have something doesn’t mean we can’t get it. ... Nine times out of 10, I can get it for you. ... We can match them. They can’t match our service.”
How did you get into the hardware business? “I started nine years ago as a cashier, working my way through college. My manager at the time knew I’d be working summer and winter break. That’s what I did for a few years. I’ve held every job title this company has. I became a department manager, a shift leader, an assistant manager. Now, I’m the general manager.”
Did you major in business at college? “No, I went to school (at University of Wisconsin-Platteville) and got my degree in elementary education. People always ask me, ‘Why didn’t you pursue that?’ I say I kind of did because I still teach or coach people on a daily basis here.”
Does the Buikema family still own the stores? “Not any more. We’re now a division of the Westlake Corp. ... We have three (stores) in Naperville, two in Wheaton, one in Plainfield and one in Romeville. We cover a good amount of ground.”
What’s the best part of being in Naperville? “The community. We get a lot of really good people in here. We’re blessed to be in the areas we are in.”
Is there a busy time of year? “It really is all times. ... We are a business that is weather-oriented. ... When we had that big snowstorm, we sold 30 snow blowers in one day. ... There’s always something year-round that a customer is going to need.”
What’s the best part of this business? “No two days are the same. Every day you walk in, you encounter some different challenge.”
Any negatives? “There’s no negative you can’t turn into a positive.”
How did the virus impact your business? “We were not shut down. A lot of people were coming in. Everyone was stuck at home, so what are they going to do? They’re going to renew their house. They’re going to paint the home office. They’re going to buy a new grill since they have to stay at home. They’re not going out to eat. ... I feel there was a lot of good that came out of the virus.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “You have to know your ‘why.’ There has to be something that builds the passion inside of you to want to do it. And then you need to invest in yourself, to invest in your dream. ... It’s a lot of work to run a store. It’s a lot of work to open a store.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
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Down to Business: Naperville's Buikema's ACE store prides itself on selling both hardware and the know-how to use it - Chicago Tribune
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