Smith Ace Hardware Closing To Make Way for Development
Decatur Metro | July 7, 2014 | 8:52 am
Deanne sent along this message sent out by Smith Ace Hardware on East College Ave…
After 42 successful years, the Decatur store has closed its doors to allow the property to be developed. We thank you for your loyalty and your business.
No word yet as to what the development will be.
Photo courtesy of Google Streetview
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‘New’ Decatur
I miss Old Decatur.
Oh, phooey. I am an aficionado of Intown Ace on Scott because it’s near and dear, but I would go over to Smith’s if I were in the area already or Intown didn’t have what I needed. Have to say that Smith seemed to be in a slump a few years ago but I thought it had picked back up.
I was wondering when I rode by this morning and saw the “Closed Thanks” sign. Even though I was closer to this one, I always drove on to Intown if I had time, but I did like having this as an option.
I hope the new development is worth the loss.
This makes me so sad. Smith wasn’t as fun or as shiny as Intown, but I went to Smith more often because it’s so close to my house. Dang.
I really felt like they had turned a corner. They were stocking more items and I was more often than not able to find what I needed. The people there were always very helpful and approachable. I’m going to miss it.
This is definitely one that evokes irrational feelings. I’ve supported Smith for 18 years and, as a regular, long-term customer, I can say without exaggeration that at least 40 or 50% of what began as a trip to Smith ended as a trip to Intown. Sort of like the mini Kroger, part of its charm was always having considerable inventory that inevitably contained everything except the thing you came there to buy.
I will hate to see ’em go, though. Even if it does end up shaving five minutes off my hardware store routine.
This approximates my feeling on the subject. The staff were always perfectly nice, and when we lived on the east side of the square rather than the west side, it was the closer ACE. So we often gave them a shot. But for whatever reason, they never seemed to have whatever little bit of hardware or tool or whatever it was we needed, and then it was off to Intown. Meanwhile, 90% of the time Intown not only has whatever it is I need, but also 5 other things that I didn’t know I needed…
Noooooooo!! I just made an emergency run there on Friday and everyone was so nice and helpful and I found everything I needed. It’s right around the corner and I never had a moments hesitation about walking in there covered in paint, dirt, etc. I feel like I’ll have to get all prettied up to go to fancy pants Intown.
I am SO sorry to see them close – their staff has been so knowledgeable and helpful, even when I neede a small item like bolts or screws, or a plumbing repair item. I have driven right past Home Depot to buy there because I knew there would be someone who actually had some home fixit experience to help me.
last time i was in there the other day, the gardening expert told me “i don’t want you to buy anything today” and gave me some homework to do instead. he didn’t want me buying the wrong product.
fitting on many levels. i’ll miss that place.
First Walmart victim — the hardware stores usually close first.
I think most would agree that it is more of an Intown Ace Hardware victim than a Walmart casualty.
Intown is not and should not be worried about WM..They provide a selection and expertise far beyond what WM ever could.
Most WMs have a very small hardware section with only the most basic items (cheap hammers, picture hangers, etc.). The only potential direct competition I see between Ace and WM is the nursery, and those buying plants at Ace aren’t comparison shopping anyway. They are willing to pay more for the knowledge/experience at Ace and/or to support a local business. I doubt Ace will feel any meaningful effect from WM opening, and if they do I am confident they will find some other niche item to make up for the difference. WM won’t carry BGEs, Weber grills, Melissa and Doug toys, Stihl power tools, etc.
Walmart will in no way be able to compete with the paint selection at Intown, for both brands and knowledge from staff. The paint guys at Intown are truly awesome to work with, and on a completely irrelevant side note, very cute too!
As far as Smith, my dad used to take me there with him when I was little. Count me in the “too bad” sentiments.
You mean the WM at Suburban Plaza that won’t open for another 12 months?
If you were about to be sandwiched between two Walmarts and you had to make a choice between selling out or staying in business, I doubt you’d opt for the latter.
If you run a hardware store that can’t compete with Walmart you shouldn’t be in business. The last several times I went to Smith Ace I walked away empty handed and went straight to Intown where I could easily and quickly find what I needed. It has been several years now since I’ve stepped foot inside Smith Ace even though I drive right by on my way to Intown. I’m surprised they lasted as long as they did.
To use a stock trader’s term, I’d be “short” the entire retail hardware/home improvement industry. The macrotrends just aren’t in its favor, at least nor for the foreseeable future. That said, the reason for this closure is almost certainly as much or more about the increase in the value of the land as it is anything else.
Now there’s a bold call. I am going to make a note to keep a tab on Home Depot and Lowe’s, just to see how you’d have done if you had shorted them today.
Okay. And add Costco to that too (Sam’s Club is part of Walmart, so can’t separate it out–otherwise I’d include it).
Reasoning for adding Costco? Just curious.
Just figuring that apartment dwellers and downsizing baby boomers aren’t going to have much need for bulk quantities of garbage bags, paper towels, etc.
You clearly haven’t been to the Costco at Perimeter, especially during the week. I bet close to half of the shoppers are retirees, and not recent retirees. I have helped an elderly person lift something heavy on least a couple of recent trips, and even asked one in particular if she had someone at home to help unload. The elderly woman appeared to have trouble walking unassisted, but she was buying a 50 lb bag of dog food.
And I think the much talked about young adults who are trending towards smaller spaces, no cars, etc. will re-evaluate their priorities on about child no. 3, especially as the rate of multiples continues to increase.
“I bet close to half of the shoppers are retirees, and not recent retirees.”
Yeah, that baffles me somewhat. Maybe they’re housing a bunch of millennials! Regardless, the very fact that they have such an aging demographic doesn’t necessarily bode well for them.
And I guess we’ll have to wait and see what millennials do, but for the medium term (5- 10 years), I’m very confident in betting on the smaller places trend continuing and expanding.
For what it’s worth, the three companies mentioned have significantly under-performed the rest of a red-hot S&P 500 over the last 12 months.
Dawg and Brianc: if you are genuinely puzzled that retirees are seizing every opportunity to save money on staples and commodities regardless of the logistics involved, then you live in a bubble. If and when it pops, you will hit the ground hard.
BTW, my experience shopping at the Brookhaven Costco is that families with young children stampede the place at sample time. (The appalling displays of rudeness, I’ll save for a different thread.) No way Costco is dependent on the AARP demographic. I think they’ve got the full range covered.
To use a stock trader’s term, I’d be “short” the entire retail hardware/home improvement industry. The macrotrends just aren’t in its favor, at least nor for the foreseeable future. That said, the reason for this closure is almost certainly as much or more about the increase in the value of the land as it is anything else.
Trader Joe’s.
Do we know what development is going to go there?
Bet it’s a brewery. Definitely what that stretch of road needs!
This is very sad. I was always able to find what I needed here, and the staff was extremely helpful with multiple projects.
This development is getting way out of hand. This is freaking ridiculous.
I don’t know what is going there, but if it is more condos then Decatur is going to look like Alpharetta in five years.
Alpharetta has condos? I’ve only been up there twice and all I saw were clone houses & cul-de-sacs within named housing developments.
No real difference, Robert. Some stupidly named condo development is the same as a stupidly named subdivision.
Maybe I picked the wrong city, but most people on here get what I’m saying. Decatur is losing its charm. And fast.
Ah yes, the good old days. When downtown was desolate after 5 pm on Fridays. When your car would be broken into if you parked too long on the wrong street. When there were more gunshots on holidays than fireworks.
Yeah, this development is so out of hand. Pull the ladders up, everyone, I’ve got my piece of the pie already.
Ha. I’ve been fantasizing about downsizing to a condo for awhile. Yard work too much for us. All this new condo development should bring the prices down, right? Soon should be a good time to buy, right? And I’ll get brand shiny new instead of what I could afford with a house. And we can be the shining example that condos do house school-aged children.
Except the new developments are all rentals, as far as I know. And my guess is this land will be developed as apartments also.
This type of sentiment is absurd.
This store has been under performing for years. Like many have noted I tried to support them but more often than not they did not have what I needed and had to go somewhere else. Eventually, you just go somewhere else and not waste your time.
This underperforming business is sitting on valuable property within a quarter of a mile of a MARTA station.
I think it is great that this property will probably be turned into a more productive use. And I don’t think it changes the “charm of Decatur” in any way. In fact, I think it will help this stretch become more walkable and pedestrian and transit friendly.
Well said, Marty. That stretch of road, outside of East Decatur Station, is in serious need of redevelopment. This can really enhance our city with new, energetic, forward-looking development. As it stands, those parcels are a detriment – ugly buildings that are sitting empty or home to under-performing businesses. Losing Smith may be sad to some and I see where that is coming from. But sentiment that denounces this announcement at this stage is easily dismissed as unhelpful BANANA thinking (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything). We don’t even know what is being built here.
The Decaturish article suggests that they couldn’t reach agreement on a new lease which suggests the property owner is choosing to sell or redevelop. And you know how that plays out. Decaturites are fierce advocates of personal property rights until they involve someone else exercising theirs. :-O
No, Scott, I’m a fierce advocate of “we have too many condos going in.” That’s all. We don’t know what this will be, of course, but I’m afraid that it will follow the lead of so many other pieces of property in the last few months.
If it’s more small businesses, I’m all for it. More restaurants, great. But please, please no more condos.
No worries. I wasn’t speaking in regards to you in specific. More as it relates to the overall tenor of comments here and on the DQ thread compared with those on one of the many tree threads. Either DM has two separate audiences or a good chunk of people are selective in their defense of property rights.
But like I said, I’ll miss Smiths, in all its quirky and sporadic glory.
If the landlord wants to redevelop then it will likely become residential. Which is too bad, because it would be great to continue the commercial development along New Street and turn this area into a more fully realized creative business district. Assuming the developer will need a change of zoning code, this would be a great time to the city to extract some real multi-use concessions from the land-owner.
Exactly.
No, we don’t. But if it is more condos I am going to scream.
Why? I’m not saying that’s what it is going to be, but why is that a bad thing right down the street from MARTA? Multifamily buildings will help feed the tax base at a level greater than single family properties while contributing less kids to the school system. It’s a win if the market will bear it. Additionally, more density with residents that can afford in-town Decatur living will mean more businesses chasing those consumers. In the long run, more units could bring down average rents but don’t nearly all of the new units being constructed have some type of “luxury” tag on them?
And this is nit-picky semantics, but I don’t think any of the new multifamily residential buildings going up are “condos.” They are rental apartments. I don’t know if any of them will or should convert but as a current Decatur condo owner, I’d like the inventory of existing condo units to remain small until I’m ready to upgrade.
The relatively small project on East Howard is the first condo development in Decatur in something like 8 years.
And that’s still TOO MUCH. Condos are for people outside of C.O.D. in Atlanta and unincorporated DeKalb who can’t afford half-million dollar three bedroom real houses! Where the he!! is my moat?!?
Smith Hardware could have helped you build it.
Doh!
I think the development you are referring to is going to be townhomes, with a live/work component in one or both of the sections.
They are townhomes but they’re not individual lots. It’ll be condo ownership.
I hope that the “no more condos” and/or “no development at all” crowd will be willing to help subsidize my property tax bills in the coming years.
With practically all of Decatur’s single family development geared towards families with 2-3 children, in order to attend Decatur schools, in my opinion we need more condo development in Decatur. Someone has to pay the bills.
If I remember correctly, that stretch fronting College Ave from the used car lot on Commerce to almost the Avondale Marta Station was mapped as remaining commercial. Once Weeks and New Sts were connected to Talley St, there would be a mix of commercial and residential down those streets, turning into residential at the south end (Talley St.).
Naturally, things change with time and circumstances, but we’ll see.
Agree with Marty. And I fail to see what’s so charming about a fairly generic, suburban-style hardware store, other than the fact that it’s been there a long time.
Some of the posters here seem to like their service and expertise. That’s a valid reason to miss a place. I know I used to feel that way about Smith before their slump a few years ago and while Intown was still on its way up to super-duper meets-all-needs store. I know the world is moving towards Amazon drones but will the drones have Live Chat so I can at least ask a question?
This is a real bummer.
No! This is horrible news. I go to Smith Ace much more than Intown–it’s so much closer to my house that I can walk there faster than it takes to drive to Intown. First Dairy Queen, now Smith Ace…what a sad year for old Decatur businesses.
I was just there on Saturday, and while I noticed that they were changing things (I even commented to the cashier on the redecoration and she said nothing about them closing), I had no idea they were closing.
It was convenient for things that you knew they’d have (yard bags, getting keys made, and it was the only place I’ve been able to find that carries the size filter I need for my HVAC), but it was also expensive and didn’t always have what you were looking for. I prefer to support the little guys whenever possible, so now I’ll go a little farther to go to Intown.
This will be an expansion of East Decatur Station whether in immitation or in fact.
Predicting the future: someone will move to Decatur in 3 years, buy a townhouse on this site, and then complain about how Walmart is killing the local businesses that made Decatur special.
That’s abrupt.
I deeply appreciated their bulk fasteners supply – yeah, sometimes it was more expensive to buy two bolts all things considered, but I didn’t NEED twenty, I needed two.
Huh.
I will be sorry to see them go. Always had everything I needed and plenty of knowledge to go with it. and really friendly folks too. and who can doesn’t love that old fashionedhardware-store-smell.
Bailey’s was a much bigger loss. But I’m betting hardly anybody here remembers it or shopped there.
Au contraire! I was a Bailey’s customer back in the day. They’re the guys who taught me what a radiator key was and how to use it. Kept my system alive probably 5 years longer than it deserved.
They were still open when we first moved to Decatur. That was where we shopped after Smith disappointed us in service/selection. I especially appreciated the 1970s-era contact paper selection that allowed me to reminisce about childhood.
like
Where was Baileys?
It’s Sun in My Belly now.
Sorry I missed it. Mid-century contact paper is nostalgic for me too. Did it also have fly paper, metal breadboxes, screen door/window patches, and oil cloth?
This is supposed to be a reply to Scott.
If I’d been betting on which neighbors were former Bailey’s customers, you would have topped the list, my friend.
Realized too late that Bailey’s was probably my last, best hope of finding a roller skate key to replace the one that disappeared in my parents’ 1980s nest-emptying extravaganza. (We found Confederate money–paper, not gold–when we emptied that house, and they couldn’t be bothered to hang onto my skate key?!?!?!)
This doesn’t have anything to do with competition with Wal-Mart; the entire area has been slated for redevelopment as part of the Avondale LCI for a number of years. The plan was used as a heavy selling point to buyers at Talley St. Lofts in the first couple years they were available. After the city didn’t move the Public Works building, many cried bait and switch and sold. The original plan:
www DOT decaturga DOT com/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=829
If you don’t want to read the entire thing, look at Economic Development Issues (starts p. 30), Recommendations (pp. 33-37, you’ll notice Derrydown included on the eastern edge of the map on p. 34), Phasing & Zoning Strategies (starts p. 40), etc. There used to be another map indicating how each building would be zoned that included a retention pond, but it’s conveniently disappeared from the internet.
While I bought stuff there sometimes, I agree with Marty (on both parts). Some of you may have memories there, but someone has a fond memory of every single thing everywhere. It happens, but it also doesn’t mean you unilaterally oppose change or development (read: new opportunity) because you can’t control it anyway. I’m not speaking to one particular person, just the general sentiment around Decatur lately. The property owner decided to do what was in his best interest based on the market. You would, too.
That map is a far cry from the 45% tree coverage just passed in the ordinance.