Terry Fox, part owner of Fox Brothers Ace Hardware, greets customers with cashier Tiffany Poston near the front door of the new store, which opened May 15. In the background, from center, are sales associate Tommy Lee, part owner Bruce Fox, and customer Warren Gooch.
Fox Brothers Ace Hardware is now open on Oak Ridge Turnpike, and the new store sells a mix of hardware, paint, tools, animal feed, electrical and plumbing supplies, and lawn and garden gear.
The 7,000-square-foot store is located in the east building at the former Paul Benton Buick and GMC.
“We’re excited, and we think it has a lot of potential,” said Bruce Fox, one of the new store’s four owners. The other three owners are his wife, Mary Jane Fox, and two brothers, Terry Fox and Todd Fox.
The locally owned store opened May 15 and a grand opening ceremony is scheduled for June 22-24.
“We’re getting a lot of feedback, and people are just so appreciative,” Terry Fox said after leading a reporter on a tour of the store Friday afternoon through rows of grills, light bulbs, nails, pipes, hoses, filters, nuts and bolts, and landscaping equipment.
The business sells Craftsman tools and Clark and Kensington paint, among other brands.
Located on about 2.7 acres, the store will have screen repairs, glass cutting, and propane refills, Terry Fox said.
Fox Brothers Ace Hardware sales associate Steve Flood, left, talks to customer John Caton.
He said the store has 18 employees and is open seven days a week.
The property where the store is located has been owned by the Fox family for years. The family also used to own the property next door that is now home to Sexton Automotive of Oak Ridge.
The family has been in business in Oak Ridge for decades, mostly in the automobile business.
Terry Fox said there is no connection between Fox Brothers Ace Hardware and Potter’s Ace Hardware, which was farther east on Oak Ridge Turnpike and closed a few years ago.
Fox Brothers Ace Hardware is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Besides the 7,000-square-foot store, the business also includes a 2,000-square-foot building that houses farm products and stores 12 tons of feed. It has a 2,000-square-foot carport that will be used to load the feed and equipment, Terry Fox said.
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