Waggoner Home Center joins Ace Hardware Corp.

Changes are coming to Waggoner Home Center in Willow Springs, but one very important thing is staying the same. At the end of the day, one of the oldest businesses in town will remain a local, family-owned enterprise. What began as Waggoner Lumber Company in 1937 grew into a retail store under the True Value brand, where they flourished for 30 years. Following True Value’s bankruptcy and sale to Do it Best in 2024, Waggoner Home Center has been seeking a new primary hardware supplier. 

 

For six months, the Waggoner family entertained and evaluated proposals from five hardware wholesalers. Ace Hardware Corporation made the best offer, has the most products, and shares the Waggoner family’s local-first philosophy, Jay Waggoner told Howell County News.

 

“Ace does not own us. We own part of Ace,” he clarified. “It’s Waggoner Home Center locally and Ace hardware globally.”

 

“We’re fairly excited,” added Martha Stolba, Waggoner’s daughter and store owner/operator. “With True Value’s financial troubles, they kind of lost the customer-first philosophy lately, but that’s always been our philosophy - the most important thing. It’s something we share with Ace.”

 

The Waggoner family told the News the transition to the new brand and the new product line might be a bit chaotic, but they ask the community and their customers to bear with them this summer. Their goal is to remain open throughout the changes. 

 

“People have been wondering about the empty shelves,” Stolba said. It’s all part of the changeover. 

 

An unmistakable refresh will take place in August. As for the customer experience, the Waggoners say Ace will offer almost double the products - 140,000 different products, compared to True Value’s catalogue of 80,000. Familiar brands like Stihl, Milwaukee, and DeWalt will stay part of the Waggoner experience. Ace has the largest buying power out of all the wholesalers the store considered and comes with, “amazing technology to improve the shopping experience and excellent customer support for the store and employees,” according to the family. 

 

A new 1.5 million square foot Ace distribution center will open in Kansas City in July, which is expected to facilitate fast ordering and shipping capabilities that will allow the locally owned store to compete with online retailers. 

 

Throughout the summer, Waggoner’s will be holding clearance sales to make room for the new Ace merchandise. Expect deep discounts, the family says.