The family story of Larry and Gloria Martin, longtime proprietors of the Ace Hardware Store in Middlebury, is one of perseverance, loyalty, and dreams coming to fruition.
Martin Ace Hardware, at first blush, bears little resemblance to what most would consider a traditional brick-and-mortar hardware store, and that was a deliberate decision on the part of the Martins, who have been married for 55 years. Through their managerial style that intertwines ingenuity and inspiration, Martin Ace Hardware is now a nationally renowned institution, with three generations of family members currently involved in the business.
The Martin family is joyfully invested in observing the 35th-anniversary milestone of the store with a celebration planned for the weekend of October 4 and 5.
The origins of Martin Ace Hardware reach back to the summer of 1987 with the first incarnation of the store, a modest, 1,600-square-foot facility situated just north of the present site. The building, nestled at the intersection of State Road 13 and the U.S. Highway 20 corridor, followed much of the traditional Ace Hardware blueprint, with a showroom and a wide inventory of lumber and related products. Just three years later, the Martins built a 5,800-square-foot expansion to allow for more customer-friendly features, such as lawn and gardening supplies and an expansive greenhouse.
Yet the quest for quality and the desire for a hometown niche was far from ended. In the early 1990s, the Martins added another element to their franchise by offering a floral design and balloon service for a wealth of occasions. Gloria was the primary force behind this mission. ”We wanted to add more joy and fun,” she says. The whimsical catchphrase caught on that this would become “the happiest place in town.”
In developing camaraderie and rapport within and beyond their customer base, a radical idea was brought forth by one of the Martins’ sons, Shannon. What if there could be a way to tangibly illustrate exactly what the business is about, by bringing the store to them?
Fortified with a supply of ratchets and straps, the Martins gave Shannon their approval to travel the countryside by way of a simple mobile storefront. It was a daring yet brilliant strategy that helped to further strengthen the bonds between the family and the neighboring Amish communities. It was also a springboard to profound commercial success in the recreational vehicle industry.
“Little did I know that we would be one of the lifelines of the RV transportation industry, supplying all of the U.S. and Canada’s needs,” Shannon says. “The relationships that we have built with these drivers and the local transport companies have been priceless. We look forward to continued growth with the years ahead.”
Shannon now serves as the store manager, guided by the tutelage of his parents to one day take the reins in ownership. Meanwhile, there is a network of additional family members immensely dedicated to the trade, even though they are separated by miles.
The Martins’ daughter, Janae, lives in Georgia, and is skilled in the marketing and design aspects of the business. Their son, Kyle, who holds a doctorate in evangelism, is also a source of dedication, and many of the 11 grandchildren have worked in various capacities along the way. “They all enjoy being a part of grandpa’s store,” Gloria says with a smile.
Larry’s skills and background in construction proved beneficial in the creation of their current locale. The couple purchased the land on which their business has flourished back in 2006, with the goal of beginning construction in 2008. The recession created delays throughout the process, until the new building was finally raised in 2012. The original design was conceptualized in Larry’s creative mind, and eventually doodled on a napkin. The Martins wanted a place that felt welcoming and heartfelt, far from utilitarian, with a front porch, rocking chairs and inviting decorative touches. The new store is sprawling like a plaza, yet warm and intimate like a homespun country general store.
That includes the addition of several niche shops within the red-barn-styled walls. There is the Tulip Tree, which features upscale and faith-imbued home accents and gifts. There is the Toy Store, another wish made real through Gloria’s background as a former preschool teacher with Bright Beginnings Montessori preschool. New this year is the Four Seasons area, which boasts 2,000 square feet of space devoted to outdoor recreation and entertaining, from lawn-care products to grills, as well as accessories from porches to patios.
Even the front entryway is intriguing, with a tremendous nod to history and heritage that draws guests just inside the doors. Mounted carefully on a simple display is a massive cross section of a 500-year-old bubinga tree from Africa, carefully preserved with the rings intact and marked with pivotal points in time across American history.
Meanwhile, just a few steps away from the main Ace Hardware store, there is also a small oasis of peace and faith that the Martins have christened The Carpenter’s House. It features a small chapel, a stream, and paintings depicting the 66 books of the Bible, artfully done by one of their nieces. “We had this vision to build a chapel, a place where people can come and pray,” Larry says. “Doors are always open during our business hours.”
“Our customers are constantly evaluating us, so we don’t just meet their expectations, but we exceed them with excellent service, a smile, and competitive prices,” Gloria adds. Everyone strives to consistently abide by a system of four core values when working alongside their customers and their community, she notes, including respect, integrity, personal responsibility for their services and products, and trust.
Faith is also evident and essential in everything that they do, Larry adds, both for the people they serve in the Ace Hardware sector, and for the town they have grown to love and raise a family in. He never could have imagined the path he was on, meeting a sweet young lady from North Dakota not so long ago and creating what they both call a family legacy. He is both grateful and emotional as he reflects on that journey, pausing occasionally to gather his composure and his thoughts.
“When some people ask me how I define success after 35 years, here is how I define success,” he begins. “It is not in dollars and cents, but having my son, Shannon, say he is in our business because he wants to work with his dad; when our kids, Shannon, Janae, and Kyle, come to work at the store and my wife, Gloria, supports me 100% all of the time in good and bad times; when 80 members of the Amish community come and help us move from our old store to the new store; when I go to church on Sunday and say thank you to God for this past week and ask for blessings for the next week; when I read in the chapel all the people from all over the U.S.A. and Canada; when I can sit on the swing at the chapel porch with the sun setting and the light comes on, the peace in my heart. That is success.”
