Ace Hardware

I don’t come here often, but it’s useful to have in-​town. The parking is right along Main Street, but since it’s Oelwein, parking is never too bad. You can also park right outside the doors in case you’re loading up something really heavy, so that’s a plus-​side to the parking. Free parking on Main Street in Oelwein — in case you’re unaware.
The store itself is pretty awesome. It’s not a huge space, so everything is relatively packed together, but it pretty much meets all of the needs that I’ve ever had. I have no idea how to navigate the store, but if I put effort into it, there are signs and everything, and it’s laid-​out in a semi-​logical way that makes it easy to get around. Every time I’ve gone in, I’ve been asked by multiple people if I need any assistance, so they’re really quite great about helping you get exactly what you need. While I’m not sure I’d agree that their slogan, «Ace, The Helpful Place» would apply to all Ace Hardware stores, in this case, it actually does. I’ve come in here with really vague problems or ideas, and they’ve helped me figure out what I need to get.
For this last time, I was looking for an inexpensive way to get cardboard signs into the ground. I haven’t been able to find any super-​cheap stakes or other metal frames throughout all of Oelwein, so I thought I’d come here. Ace Hardware didn’t actually have any type of cheap stake, but they were willing to help me find a better solution that worked for me. They brought me towards metal flag poles that ran less than 50 cents a piece. I bought a ton (they had a huge stock!) to work with, and I have exactly what I need to make my signs.
Check-​out was super simple and everyone was really friendly. When I need things for my lawn in the future, I’ll definitely be back. I wish they had larger stock of things, but it’s always had what I needed — or employees were willing to work with me to find an alternative that works just as well or better.