Ace Hardware South Fulton is celebrating its soft opening today in Old National Marketplace. Owned by father-son duo Warren Pegram and Charlston Austin, the location is a welcome addition to the existing retail mix.
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During a time when many retailers have closed their doors amid coronavirus concerns, hardware stores have been classified as essential businesses in most jurisdictions. Pegram says that he and his team are taking extra measures to ensure that shoppers and employees are safe.
Shoppers will find plexiglass shields and hand sanitizer at the cash registers, and six feet markers on the floor leading to the checkout counter. Staff members are routinely wiping down high-touch areas with a Clorox solution throughout the day, and a thorough store cleaning will be done each day at closing. Employees are also being asked to wear face masks.
For now, access to the store is also being limited.
“To protect our employees and and customers, based on the store square footage, we are limiting the number of customers to 30 in the store at one time,” said Pegram. “In addition, we have curbside pickup and home delivery to reduce store traffic and to support social distancing.”
While families are spending more time at home in response to the coronavirus pandemic, many are tackling home improvement projects. Pegram says now is a great time to paint and garden.
“Ace carries the high-quality Benjamin Moore paint which is an excellent paint for any interior or exterior paint project,” he said. “For your lawn and garden project, we carry all levels of equipment for the do-it-yourself person up to the professional contractor. In addition, we carry a variety of supplies to make your garden project easy and relaxing.”
A festive grand opening is planned for the future when coronavirus concerns wane, and additional events are also in the works. In fact, Pegram is already challenging community members to a barbecue showdown.
“Now is a good time to upgrade your grill, and spend your quarantine time polishing up your grill skills for when Ace Hardware South Fulton hosts its first grilling competition,” he said.
Ace Hardware South Fulton is located at 6385 Old National Highway, Suite 120. The store is open Monday – Saturday from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A virtual tour of the store is available on the store’s Facebook page.