St. Louis Reporter

A hardware store in St. Louis that was Ace Hardware’s 362nd store will note its 65th anniversary in March.

Rick’s Ace Hardware, 11767 Manchester Road, will note its anniversary Friday through Sunday, March 25-27, a press release said.

“Ricks Ace Hardware was founded in 1960 when Richard F. Baalmann Sr. who owned a 3500 sq. ft. store called Mars-Enders Hardware (founded in 1942 and purchased by Dick in 1956) joined Ace Hardware as their 362nd store,” a store history said. “We opened our second store in Centralia IL in 1986. We then opened store 3 in Alton IL. in 1997 which we moved to Town & Country MO in 2000. We opened our fourth Hardware location in Highland IL in 2003 and our fifth store in Ellisville Mo in 2014.”

Rick’s Ace Hardware, which has an array of products, focuses on paint, tools, hardware, plumbing, electrical and service.

“We hire the best people in the industry with great attitudes who have a Neighbor First attitude and work to treat each Guest and teammates as if they were our best friends,” the store history said.

Rick’s Ace Hardware owner Richard Baalmann Jr. addressed customers as “Neighbor” in March 2020 on Facebook when he assured them the store would assist the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“From my family, we offer our deepest sympathies to those who have already been affected. Your local Ace is here to serve you,” Baalmann said. “Our sole purpose is simple - we exist to help others and we are committed to supporting our community in this time of need.”

Globally, Ace Hardware has over 5,500 locally owned and operated hardware stores. It has headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois.