“Dream Ace” store closes

Gleannloch Ace Hardware, the “Dream Ace” store that opened in the Houston suburb of Spring, Texas, in June 2007, began liquidating its merchandise on March 23 in anticipation of closing its doors this spring.

Gower Talley, who beat out more than 5,400 hopeful entrepreneurs in a nationwide contest and was awarded the $1 million Ace store, posted a statement on his Web site, thetexasboardroom.com, confirming that he will be returning to his home state of Oregon. He wrote:

“This has been an extremely rewarding experience; however this is not where my family and I want to be permanently. It is time for my family and I to come home. I am liquidating my assets in Houston, and I will be returning to the Portland, Ore., area in spring 2009.”

Talley could not be reached for comment, but in an interview with HCN published in September, he said the store’s location across the street from the upscale Gleannloch Farm Golf Course was “a tremendous spot demographically.” Talley -- a veteran of the Oregon National Guard who served in Operation Desert Storm -- also said that the Spring, Texas, market had been underserved before the opening of the 15,500-square-foot store.

When reached for comment, Ace Hardware spokesman Christopher Boniface said, “As Gower Talley noted on his Web site, thetexasboardroom.com, he plans to exit the hardware business and pursue other opportunities in Oregon. We wish Gower and his family well in their future endeavors.”