The whole of America knows “Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks.” Ace Hardware Corporation is a 98-year-old co-op of more than 4,800 store locations across the United States. When it comes to your mountain hardware store, this tagline rings true as each nearby storefront is owned and operated by local business Moore Lumber & Hardware. Moore Lumber & Hardware, now based in Pine, Colorado, began as a planing and moulding operation and has been a mountain community business for more than 75 years.
It was a business venture that started simply when William (Bill) Moore, Sr. opened the Moore Lumber Co. in Bailey in 1947. The area was in need of quality wood products as it was experiencing growth at the time. Moore Lumber Co. met that need, and then continued to grow themselves. In 1951, Bill purchased the hardware section of a local grocery story, updating his business to Moore Lumber & Hardware. Since then, the family—and the business—have continued to expand. In 1972, Bill’s son, Bill, Jr., joined the family operation and remains active today. In 2008, William III, “Erin,” joined the business, maintaining a family dedication to being a community-centric Colorado company that has never wavered.
Since 2000, Moore Lumber & Hardware has opened and maintained several mountain area Ace Hardware locations, now including Bailey, Pine Junction, Aspen Park and Evergreen, plus stores in Castle Rock and Bennett. Five of the six stores hold the highest ranking in the Ace family as Pinnacle stores.
Being both locally and nationally recognized, Bill Moore’s stores incorporate Ace Hardware’s brand appeal, with added emphasis on local values and ideas. “Our mantra is: be helpful. Our values are: community and customer focus, respect, trustworthiness, continuous improvement, dedication and winning with integrity,” he says. “Our company culture is based on our mantra and our values. And our objective is to provide exceptional customer service in everything we do.”
And they do plenty. All of the Moores’ Ace Hardware locations have several store department features. At the Evergreen store this includes lawn and garden, plumbing, hardware, electrical, hand and power tools, paint, sundries and cleaning supplies, so that you can check several items off your list while still receiving the small-town assistance of a local shop.
As one recent Evergreen customer reports, “[Everyone at Ace] is so kind, helpful and welcoming. We met a total of four workers and each had a positive attitude and was willing to assist [us in selecting a chainsaw].”
There is no job too small or too large for the enthusiastic employees at your nearest Ace location. “Our helpfulness and our people who are dedicated to our customers’ success distinguish us from our competition,” says Bill, noting that employees aren’t just bodies wandering the stores—they are experts in their designated departments who are able to answer questions. “We have experienced associates in all departments including paint, power tools, barbecue, plumbing, electrical, lawn and garden, hardware and other related areas.”
This expertise extends beyond run-of-the-mill, Saturday-job questions or the labels printed on the aisle signs. Bill explains, “Within the Moore Lumber family, we have experts in framing material, windows, doors, exterior and interior trim material, paint and many other elements of construction. We also have a large fleet of trucks and forklifts to deliver and place materials on the job.”
This is as true now as ever, even in the midst of supply-chain issues and inflation. “Any supply-chain issues seem to be clearing for most items we supply,” but for those tricky items, Bill says they try to anticipate shortages and how to navigate them. “Certainly the cost of lumber has come down significantly over the last four months,” says Bill, and Ace Hardware is equipping themselves for more of your home improvement projects. Erin adds, “The Evergreen store has a full-time business-to-business salesperson, Scott. Scott can solve all kinds of supply issues for customers.” For larger building projects, lumber-stocked locations can also aid in locating all necessary supplies. “Our facilities with lumber also offer free estimating based on your list, or we can do a material takeoff based on a set of blueprints,” says Erin.
Building projects aside, Ace Hardware is also a convenient neighborhood store. Bill says, “Evergreen offers numerous services including chip key programing, knife and scissor sharpening, Stihl service and repair, screen repair, propane refill and exchange, plus delivery and online ordering for in-store pick-up. And we soon will have an engraver on-site.” Customers in the mountain area have come to trust Ace Hardware for all of these services and more, in a clean, organized and friendly environment that makes shopping for their home a pleasant, easy experience.
“We always feel welcome at [the Evergreen store],” says another local customer. “We feel that our business matters, as opposed to some of the other warehouse stores where we are just another cog in the wheel.”
As part of that hometown feeling, local Ace Hardware locations provide more than just products and advice—they’re adding a little bit of fun to the mix. For example, coming up on December 6, the Evergreen store is hosting a Ladies Night. “We’ll have food, drinks, gifts for attendees and discount pricing on many items,” says Bill. “This is a fun event that we purposefully hold in the winter as a chance for the community to come together—and selfishly, so we can hang out with our awesome neighbors. We love spending time with the people in our community!”
Moore Lumber & Hardware also recognizes that a major part of community orientation is giving back to those in need. While they have raised funds and supported many charities and nonprofit endeavors throughout the years, the organization is particularly committed to supporting Children’s Hospital. “Since 2012, our customers have helped us raise more than $200,000 for the organization, and in 2020, we ranked eighth of all Ace Hardware stores in the 5+ store category for Children’s Miracle Network fundraising,” Bills shares.
These impressive accomplishments demonstrate that the best, biggest work often comes from a small start and a willingness to do things right every time, no matter the scale. Great good can be done when neighbors come together around a common goal. Ace Hardware may be a national chain, but your mountain area stores are committed to the best service that this community needs. And your home improvement project, whatever it may be, is important to Ace.
As a happy customer recently said, “I really appreciated how they didn’t give up and worked as a team to help me. They were all very kind and seemed happy to help. And I left the store with exactly what I needed.”
For more information about Moore Lumber & Hardware and local Ace Hardware locations, please visit moorelbr.com.
Mountain Area Ace Hardware Locations
5195 County Road 64, Bailey
26572 Barkley Road, Conifer
1153 Bergen Parkway, Suite N, Evergreen
186 Mount Evans Blvd., Pine
