Three new Ace stores open in Michigan

Oakland County, Mich., has three new Ace Hardware stores, offering a combined 40,000 square feet of retail selling space, according to mlive.com, a Michigan Web site.

Tri-City Ace Hardware in Clawson and Beverly Hills Ace Hardware in Beverly Hills celebrated grand openings Nov. 14 to 16, while Commerce Ace Hardware in Commerce is scheduled to hold its grand opening in April 2009.

Tri-City Ace was opened by Dan Klepp, a longtime Rochester resident who formerly worked in the automotive supply industry. Klepp looked at several entrepreneurial opportunities before zeroing in on an Ace store.

Beverly Hills Ace owner Bill Damman is the grandson of the founder of Damman Hardware, a 17-store Michigan chain that closed in 2004. The Beverly Hills location will employ 15 people.

Commerce Ace Hardware was opened by licensed contractor David Swartz, who previously managed a hardware store and will run the 10-person operation.

All three stores are approximately 13,500 square feet.