Local store is set to undergo some huge changes
LAUREL — Big changes are ahead for Laurel’s local hardware store.
Laurel True Value is expanding inventory, remodeling and changing it’s name and affiliation to Ace Hardware.
Once the renovations are completed, the metamorphosis into Ace Hardware will take around four weeks.
“We will not be closing during the renovation or the change to Ace,” said owner Kim Wattier.
Wattier said after 19 years in business they decided to make an update.
“We talked to Ace Hardware to see what they had to offer. We decided to make the change to Ace Hardware,’’ Wattier said. “We are all excited to see the new products and new layout in our store. We are doing some remodeling to give us the best layout for our customers.’’
Located at the junction of highways 15 and 20, the Laurel Ace Hardware Store will become one of a team of 5,000 stores that are locally owned and independently operated across the globe.
The store conversion will start in March and end in April. Scott and Kim Wattier and Kim’s parents Ralph and Doyle Timmerman are the store owners.
“We strive to offer a more personal kind of helpfulness when assisting in finding the right products, supplies and tools for maintaining homes. Our customers are our friends, not just a number,’’ Wattier said. “Ace’s commitment to being the helpful place and its world-class reputation for neighborly advice and assistance fits right in with what we are already doing here every day. We feature a number of local and regional products to compliment Ace’s national brands.’’
When asked about competing in today’s market with options like Amazon available to customers, Wattier related this sentiment from an article sent by the 90 year-old Ace Hardware, “Weber grills are going to be the same price at our store as on Amazon. The difference is that we deliver and we put them together. You need to see a paint swatch in person and you’re not going to get a key cut from Amazon.’’
The Laurel store is located where the former Wagon Wheel Steakhouse once served customers. The Wagon Wheel began in 1958 with Chuck and Susie Roth purchasing three acres of land from Mr. and Mrs. Howard Norris.
A 75’x50’ block building was erected that overlooked the town on a hillside. Eight employees began work at the Wagon Wheel on Sept. 18, 1958.
An extra dining room was added in 1961 along with a 15’x28’ foot meeting room, three-bedroom apartment and new restrooms.
A large foyer and check rooms, a Continental room, cocktail lounge, package store and two restrooms were added in 1966.
One month in 1966 an estimated 6,743 guests were served at the Wagon Wheel. The next year 32 employees cared for 68,895 dining guests.
Ownership hands on the wheel changed several times and in 1991 the place closed due to financial difficulties.
A number of community members entered the picture and sold shares to keep the establishment open. Community members also did extensive work on the place to keep the steakhouse going. It opened again Dec. 10,1991. It was then sold to Rick Wermersen in May 1992.
The bank eventually took possession of the building and donated it to the school. The Wattiers approached the school about the building and bought it in 2000.
“When the school had the building, Annette Junck, Laurel’s Economic Development Coordinator, made it happen. We had looked at the building for quite some time and thought, ‘Boy, that would be a nice store with room to grow. We had to completely gut it because it was a restaurant yet. The school had an auction of the restaurant items.”
Jerry Kastrup and Gary Newton did the construction. Among many other things, the floors had to be stripped and tile put down and the ceiling had to be redone.’
Wattier said she remembered the Wagon Wheel and had eaten there.
“One thing I remember when we were there was a wagon wheel lamp on the wall. It was still there when we took ownership. I have a photo of us at Scott’s five-yearclass reunion at the Wagon Wheel,’’ Wattier said. “If someone would have told us that in 14 years we would own that building, we wouldn’t have believed it.’’
Scott Wattier is the son of the late Art and Betty Wattier of Randolph. He grew up in Randolph and graduated in 1982. He earned a degree in heating and cooling from Northeast Community College in 1989.
He met Kim Timmerman in 1986 in Norfolk after they were introduced by a mutual friend. She was born in Lincoln and graduated from Creighton in 1984. She earned an accounting degree from Northeast Community College and transferred to Wayne State College to complete a management degree in 1989. Her parents are Ralph and Doyle Timmerman, also part owners in the business.
Scott and Kim were married on April 4, 1992 and took over the Randolph Farm and Home store from Dorothy Walz on May 4, 1992.
“It fit into what we wanted. We were both able to use our education and we wanted to live in a small town and have our own business,’’ she said. “We would have made more money working in a city, but life’s not all about money. It’s a wonderful life living in a small town. It’s like a big family,’’
Another change for their business in Randolph came in 2015 when after they connected with Casey’s from Laurel to see if they wanted to sell the Randolph West Ballroom they were able to move their business out along Highway 20.
“Now we have more people stop in from out of town,’’ Wattier said.
One of the reasons the Wattiers moved from downtown Randolph was the amount of space that they didn’t have.
“We had the former Carhart Lumber building that was Scott’s shop and location of our Maytag machines and rentals which was located across the street from the actual store. We wanted to be together in one building. We wanted room to grow,’’ Wattier said.
Five years after the extensive Randolph project the Wattiers are rolling up their sleeves for another major renovation project in Laurel.
“We’ve kept our service department in Randolph when we started in Laurel,’’ Wattier said. “We added a rental department in Laurel.’’
Some of the changes will include a revision to the floor on the north side. There’s a step down and that will be cemented in so the floor is all even.
“We are taking out the fireplace and the southeast center of the building has a hang over that we’re going to enclose to have a garage-like door that we can pull up and down in the morning and night,’’ Wattier said. “It will be easier to load from that enclosed area things like pipe and softener salt. The enclosed area is south of the front entrance.’’
The project is just another way to give local residents more.
“We want to keep our small towns alive and sometimes we have to do things even if they aren’t profitable,’’ she said. “We have to do them for the town. We just keep coming up with ideas. We want to see our stores still going after we are done so we have to keep them viable. We see our employees invested in our business so we want to keep them going after we retire. Hopefully our customers will be patient during the process. We are not going to close for renovations.’’
When asked when she finds time to sleep with all this going on, Wattier said, “You wake up and that’s what you think about. The next few months will have a lot of things going on.’’
The most important aspect of the Wattiers’ work is customer service including donating paint to schools and other projects.
“Ace Hardware has customer service as a main issue and Ace has been knocking on our door for a long time,’’ she said. ‘’We decided to talk to them and find out what they would offer. Ace Hardware is 100 percent owned by stores. They take care of us because you are the owners. Ace helps us compete with places like Amazon because now we will have delivery every day. If someone wants something special ordered they don’t have to wait as long. We also will now have two huge warehouses to pull inventory from so we’ll have a larger selection than other stores might have. You can look over items and touch and feel the product and you can’t do that on Amazon. You don’t always get what you expect when you order online and returns are much simpler when you can walk into our store. Our Randolph store is still True Value and that signed agreement will be up in three years and we can compare the two and see if we want to remain True Value.’’
