Our local Ace store is CRAMMED with products floor to ceiling. It’s got a real old-time feel to it. The owner, Henry, knows all his regulars. He hires the best people, too. When his girls were little, they all worked in the store, but they are grown now. His wife used to run the bathroom section, but the eventually shut that down. It’s the best hardware store for miles around. I always shop there and avoid HD whenever possible.
There is a small ACE store about five miles away. Total dump. It’s a combination ACE Hardware, Flea Market, Sanford and Son.
My wife went there once and was so freaked out that she said she’d never go back. I had never been there and went to check it out. What a great place!