Ann Bethea, owner of Florence Ace and Eastside Ace hardware stores, in Florence and Stevensville, respectively, was recently named the 2019 Business Person of the Year by the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce. It’s an honor she greatly appreciates. This has not been the easiest year for her and to win this award really gives her a great feeling.
Ann and her husband, Jim, purchased Florence Ace Hardware in 2009. Jim was a contractor and they felt this was a good fit for them. Prior to moving here, they lived in Florida where Ann worked at Jim’s family business, a private school with classes from kindergarten to sixth grade as well as a pre-K school. She taught pre-K and toddler classes, helped with summer camps and generally did whatever was necessary, even driving the bus.
The couple moved to the Bitterroot because of the outdoor life and the fly fishing. Ann is an avid fisherwoman and loves to be out in nature.
Once they purchased the hardware store in Florence, Ann set herself to learning the business. Although she has always worked with people and loves working with them, she had to pick up a whole new language, that of the handyperson and weekend carpenter. She said they didn’t really change much to begin with, just tightened up the running of the store and expanded the inventory, especially the garden center.
“We wanted to keep the small town feel,” she said. “But we wanted big city efficiency.”
If you go into almost any hardware store, and certainly the Florence Ace and Eastside Ace stores, you will find that many of the sales associates are older men of about retirement age. Ann said these men have been fixing things for their entire lives and they have the best knowledge to help beginners or even experienced customers or really anyone who frequents hardware stores.
In 2018, Jim and Ann purchased the Ace Home and Ranch Center in Stevensville. They set about putting their stamp on the business and making changes where changes were needed, including changing the name to Eastside Ace.
However, that all came to an abrupt halt at the end of January 2019 when Jim suddenly passed away. It was then that Ann found that the sales associates became family and their customers became friends. The community rallied around Ann and her three daughters to help get them through this tough time.
She says that her daughters each gave and continue to give her support in their own unique ways. Jackie lives in Pennsylvania and Ann credits her daily phone calls with keeping her going. Allie helps out at the store some, especially with advertising, as she has her own consulting business. And then there’s Katie. She is at the store five days a week and Ann says Katie is her “right hand gal.” Katie had picked up a lot of the business from her dad and is now passing that on to her mom.
Ann also credits the Ace corporation with not only helping her through a difficult time this last year but also in the day-to-day business of running two stores. They offer her education as an owner but also education for her staff.
When they only had the Florence store, Ann had a Ladies Night for women to learn little DIY projects. That store is quite cozy and so the tables were set up in the aisles. She plans on doing more Ladies Nights in the Eastside Ace store because there will be a lot of room after the current remodel is done. She says there are a lot of women who work in or own Ace stores. Her store manager at Florence is Kim Harbison, and Ann says her agriculture and farm knowledge is a real asset to the store. Ann and her staff have made community a priority and have been very generous in supporting community projects.
As she talks about the plans for the Eastside store with the remodel, she looks at a poster of an Ace store with modern features around the edge, but in the center, a quaint stove and an area more reminiscent of times gone by. She looks at it and says, “I want to have a ‘Helpful Hub’ where people can go to ask questions, learn how to do things, and feel comfortable.”
As for her business philosophy, Ann says it’s pretty simple. “Follow your gut, work hard, and smile.”
Florence Ace Hardware is located at 5524 Old Hwy 93, and the phone number is 273-4333. Eastside Ace Hardware is located at 4054 Eastside Hwy in Stevensville; phone number is 777-5525.