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In August of 1979, Lee Krendl opened Van Wert Ace Hardware in downtown Van Wert, Ohio. From 1979 to 1987, minor changes were made at the downtown location on South Washington Street, including adding small engine repair and light homeowner's rental.
In 1987, the business moved to West Ervin Road, and we changed our name to Lee's Ace Hardware. While at this location, we expanded our rental department to serve both the homeowner and contractor/industrial market, opened our seasonal Garden Center, and expanded our paint department to include computer color matching.
In 1995, Lee's Ace Hardware moved to its current location at 647 West Ervin Road, with a grand opening on October 1, 1995. That year, Lee's Ace Hardware was winner of Ace Hardware's Dealer of the Year Award.
Since 1995, we have continued to win awards for our outstanding customer service. These include the Ace Vision 21 Achievement Award, and the Ace High Performance Retail Award.
 May 10th, 2016 Lee Krendl and Karla Krendl handed over ownership to Brian Mercer. Brian Mercer is a familar face here at Ace; being the general manager for over a decade. He has been a loyal employee from the age of 17.
We've changed a lot over the past thirty plus years, and we're continuing to grow, adding new product lines and services for our customers. However, some things, like our commitment to exemplary customer service, will never change.
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