California hardware store closes abruptly

Pine Grove Ace Hardware & Lumber, located in the historic Gold Rush mining town of Pine Grove, Calif., abruptly closed its doors March 10, according to the Ledger Dispatch newspaper.

The closure of the longtime, locally owned business came as a surprise to neighboring businesses, the article said. The nearest Ace Hardware store remaining open is in the mountain town of West Point.

Pine Grove Ace Hardware & Lumber still has an active Web site, advertising the store as a full line lumberyard, equipment rental center and hardware store with plumbing, electrical, paint, builders hardware, housewares, gardening and sporting goods. It also says the store is “one of the largest distributors of Ace paint in California.”