Newhome-to-be—The former Pennysaver offices at 245 S. Woodland Blvd. have been empty for several years. Ace Hardware, which will occupy the entire building, will be moving from North Woodland Boulevard after interior renovations have been made.
BEACON PHOTOS/JOE CREWS
Theguyincharge—Barry Smith, manager of the Ace Hardware store in DeLand and shown here in front of the store earlier this year, will oversee the move to a new location later this year.
Goff’s Ace Hardware, after nearly 60 years at 303 N. Woodland Blvd. in Downtown DeLand, is moving.
Maybe.
But fear not — if it does move, it will be moving just about five blocks south and staying in Downtown’s environs.
“[A move] is all contingent on some approvals we haven’t received yet,” said owner Jack Wilburn. “It is something we would like to do, but there are still some hoops we have to jump through.”
“Staying in Downtown is a big deal,” said Barry Smith, the store’s manager since early this year. “We’re so glad we were able to find a location so we can stay Downtown — that was very important to us.”
Contingent on getting the approvals Wilburn needs from various government agencies, Ace has tentatively agreed to lease what is familiarly known as the old Pennysaver building at 245 S. Woodland Blvd. from attorney Kirk Bauer, whose practice is right next door.
Smith said plans are to renovate the ground floor and install fixtures like shelving and display racks. Public restrooms will be updated, too, to meet current codes. The second floor will likely be left as offices and small meeting spaces, Smith said.
Wilburn said the renovations don’t have to be extensive. However, no construction permit applications had been submitted to city officials as of early this week, said Chief Building Official Patrick Hubbard.
Still, Smith and Wilburn, who also owns Lake Forest Ace Hardware in Sanford, are excited about the move.
“Oh yeah. This building has been awesome and served the city for many years,” Smith said of the current store. “But we don’t have enough parking or storage area. This location just wasn’t working for us anymore.”
Wilburn agreed, saying he hopes everything works out.
“We’re excited about it and looking forward to it,” he said.
Volusia County Property Appraiser’s Office records show the existing 4,750-square-foot Ace Hardware store was built in 1958 on slightly more than a quarter-acre. The former Pennysaver building, according to the Property Appraiser’s Office, is 5,000 square feet on a parcel about the same size, 10,780 square feet, as the existing store. But the new property has much more parking — a smaller lot in front of the building, and a larger one behind it.
The target date for moving into the new location is mid-October, Smith said. And while the store’s hours will likely remain the same as now, it’s possible some new employees will need to be hired.
Wilburn said the new location would allow the store to offer more gardening and outdoor service, for instance, than is possible where the store is now.
“We will be offering some new services, but we won’t know what they will be until we settle in,” Smith said. “There may be additional staff.”
And a few more “helpful hardware folks” to serve the public.
- Joe Crews, joe@beacononlinenews.com
