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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Sturdy tradition

Claude Musick's knowledge of appliances and plumbing makes him invaluable when customers have questions. He also knows a thing or two about yard care. Below, there's a little bit of everything to make your project more fun at Ace Hardware in Spokane Valley. (Photos by J. BART RAYNIAK / The Spokesman-Review)
Steve Christlaw Correspondent
Claude Musick's knowledge of appliances and plumbing makes him invaluable when customers have questions. He also knows a thing or two about yard care. Below, there's a little bit of everything to make your project more fun at Ace Hardware in Spokane Valley. (Photos by J. BART RAYNIAK / The Spokesman-Review)

It harkens back to a earlier time – the days before one-stop shopping.

It used to be that, when you wanted bread, you stopped by your neighborhood bakery. When you wanted meat for dinner, you patronized the corner butcher shop.

And then there was the local hardware store, where you could always find the right tool for the job.

But unlike the corner butcher and the neighborhood bakery, the local hardware store has survived.

“Our store is all about convenience,” said Jon Morelock, co-owner of Ace Hardware, 9110 E. Montgomery Ave. “Customers are greeted when they come in the front door and we do everything we can to help them find exactly what they need. Customers can get in and get out, without a hassle.”

That friendly, helpful hardware atmosphere has been a hallmark for decades. Customers are never left to fend for themselves through aisle after aisle of merchandise.

“When I look for people, I look for the kind of person who has the right attitude for this kind of a business,” Morelock said. “You can always learn the rest of it.”

Ace Hardware has been one of the most stable businesses along the Argonne corridor for generations Other stores have come and gone. The drive-in next door has undergone several major changes since the days when it was an A&W restaurant, as has the shopping center across the street.

For that matter, so has Argonne Road – which a decade ago made a detour underneath the railroad tracks to improve traffic flow.

“We’ve seen quite a few changes,” Morelock said. “This store has had an older clientele and I think that has changed a bit in recent years. We’ve gotten a little younger.”

Morelock’s partner initially bought the store in 1996. Morelock bought into the business in 2000.

But even under new ownership, it’s been business as usual.

The key to a good hardware store has always been in the ability of a customer to find what they need quickly and efficiently. Fasteners, keys, locks, plumbing, machine parts, electrical parts, tools of all kinds, plants, fertilizers, they’re all there.

When a customer needs a specific kind of wood screw to finish a home project, they don’t always want to wander through the maze of a big-box, warehouse store to find it.

To put it succinctly, the nuts-and-bolts of the hardware business is, and always has been, nuts and bolts.

“That’s exactly it,” Morelock said. “I try to keep up with all the latest innovations and all that. But we still sell a lot of things like electrical outlets and faceplates and things like that. The basic stuff you expect to find.”

That doesn’t mean you can’t find the latest things, however.

“As an independent store, we have a lot of flexibility,” Morelock said. “If a customer needs something, we can add it to our inventory in two days. We’re adding new inventory every week.”