Rylee's Ace Hardware the Helpful Place

Rylee's Breaks Ground And Construction Begins

June 11, 2009 10:30am

Rylee's Ace Hardware officially broke ground today on the new 30,000 sq. ft store located at 1234 Michigan St NE. The morning was filled with excitement as owners Todd and Lori Terpstra broke ground at the construction site. Camera's captured the milestone as news stations from Grand Rapids covered the event. Joining the ceremony were long-time customers, current employees, and other ACE store owners from around the area. Rylee's ACE closed the existing store for 45 minutes so the employees were able to enjoy the festivities at the new location. When the store re-opened at 11:00am, cake and soft drinks were served to the public. Construction begins today and will be a lengthy process for the next 9-10 months. The new store plans to be opened sometime in March with a "Grand Opening Celebration" in April or May.

"Our business isn't negatively impacted by the economy," she told 24 Hour News 8. "People always need hardware. People always need to fix and repair and maintain. Now, really, is the perfect time for us. I know it looks like a risk, but we're pretty well prepared."

The new $4 million facility will cover 31,000 square feet over one floor, and will have more customer parking. It's a design Terpstra said they wanted. Currently they're spread out over three floors.