 |
| 3/2/25 Ace Hardware's new garden center |
Probably the Maple Leaf business that Greg and I patronized
most regularly in our nearly four decades of living here was Reckless Video,
where we rented movies every weekend. Formerly a house, the building remained
empty after Reckless closed a few years ago. The family that owns the
adjacent Ace Hardware store (which we’ve also patronized the whole time
we’ve lived here) also owns the Reckless property. They tried to find ways to
use the existing building as an extension of the store, but it didn’t work out.
I was sad to see the old building come down; its traditional architectural style is so emblematic of Maple Leaf. The good news, however, is that Ace has decided to use the space as a garden center that will open this spring. Although I’m unlikely to shop there (Me, garden?? I can barely keep a house plant alive), it might have colorful flowers to sketch someday. More important, it means that a family-owned neighborhood business is thriving and growing.
So good to hear that this will still be an option to the big box hardware and garden center stores. Sandpoint has a locally owned long time small hardware store that has struggled to stay open when people would rather hit Walmart or Home Depot 4 miles away. But the vibe there is so different as I know you know and many people do still shop there knowing how important this kind of store is to the community.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm grateful that Maple Leaf still has some family-owned shops like this!
Delete