Stihl Hardware All Stars: Ariz., Ark., Ga.

It takes a little more to be a Stihl Hardware All Star.

Since 2011, HBSDealer has reached out to suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, vendors, retailers and homeowners in search of high-performing, service-oriented, community-minded hardware store, lumberyard or farm and ranch dealers worthy of All-Star status.

It’s a tribute to this industry that each year brings a surplus of high-quality nominations. The companies profiled have earned their place on the list of 50 — one from each state. And they join an elite fraternity of honorees.

Here’s to the class of 2017. And here are three more stars worth gazing at.

Arizona

Ace Hardware (22nd Street) of Tucson

Neon signage isn’t the only impressive collection in this store, the first Ace west of the Mississippi River. The 37,000-sq.-ft. honoree offers a world-class fasteners department, a woodworking and custom cabinetry workshop, and a hobby shop. Joe and Toni Findysz have also made room for a 10000-sq.-ft. housewares department. The store earned a coveted Ace “Coolest Hardware Stores” award in 2016.

Arkansas

Whit Davis Lumber Plus

This versatile home improvement All Star — with the slogan: “the Plus is Service” — has built its reputation in the Little Rock area for more than 60 years, and expanded with a fourth location in 2015. Specializing in garage door installation, zero-mess insulation, gutters and more, the company points to a staff with hundreds of years of experience in the industry for those building a new home or improving their existing home.

Georgia

Islands Ace Hardware

Whether a customer stops in for a 20-cent bolt or a $2,000 lawn tractor, they get treated as a special guest at this “cool” Ace Hardware store in Savannah known for eclectic items, from fishing bait and crab traps to perfumes. Owner Randy West, who opened the business 10 years ago, has a post office on premises to encourage gift-giving. In its expansive garden center, customers can interact with skilled gardeners to find the right item.

See the full class — presented by Stihl — in the May issue of HBSDealer.