Ace is the place with the helpful Austin folks, but now some of those folks are changing.

Monday, April 30, 2001

Ace is the place with the helpful Austin folks, but now some of those folks are changing.

The location is the same and most of the staff is the same, but the owners have new faces. After 30 years in the hardware business, Dick and Bernie Alger sold their business to Larry and Judy Kramer of Clear Lake, Iowa.

Dick and Bernie Alger opened a Coast-to-Coast hardware store in the Sterling Shopping Center in 1971, just a couple doors down from the current location, after purchasing the store from Chet and Gert Warren.

Dick Alger had been working in the wholesale drug business before deciding it was time to settle down in a nice town. Austin became that nice town. His business interests switched to hardware.

Alger’s business was a Coast-to-Coast for seven or eight years, at which time he decided to pay mind to a Chamber of Commerce survey and offer Austin citizens more hardware in their hardware store. Alger Coast-to-Coast became Alger Hardware Hank and remained that way until 1992. In that year, the business became Alger Ace Hardware.

On April 2, the business officially changed hands to the Kramers of Iowa, making the Austin location their fifth Ace hardware store. The other four Kramer-owned stores are located in Iowa – Clear Lake, Mason City, Hampton and Garner.

"We thank our loyal customers for their great support over the years and assure them that the new Ace owners will continue to serve them well," Alger said. "We would also like to thank our fine staff for their very fine support."

Coincidentally, like Dick Alger, Larry Kramer was in the drug business – the drug store business, actually. Kramer became a general manager at a Carver Hardware Store in Iowa and after a year learned a store was for sale. He purchased one business, then added another, and now, 12 years later, he has purchased his fifth hardware store.

Larry and Judy’s son, Mike, is the general manager of the five stores. He has been working in the family business since 1993. His sisters run the Clear Lake and Mason City stores. Judy Kramer is the company’s controller and is responsible for the payroll and receivables. Larry and Judy work out of the corporate office in Clear Lake.

Mike Kramer will spend about one day per week at each store, though right now he is spending a lot of time getting the Austin store up to speed.

"It’s actually been a very easy conversion," Mike Kramer said. Aaron Holm is the local store manager, having moved to Austin from Mason City, where he worked for the Kramers as well.

Mike Kramer said the transitional goals for the Austin store have been three-fold: increase the staff, add inventory and connect the pricing structure with those at the four other stores. This involves relabeling the store and computerizing the inventory – a daunting task, but one that will benefit the customer in the long run.

"The prices have considerably dropped," Kramer said, "an average of 15 percent."

The Kramer network of stores means an order can be filled by drawing on the resources of four other stores and two different warehouses, to bring an item not already in the store to the customer in a shorter period of time.

"We can react to seasonal situations much faster," Kramer said.

Kramer said their businesses are known for customer service, including special ordering items for customers and loading items into customers’ cars when they need the assistance. In addition, "we have a pretty good repair business," he said.

The business also must abide by the Ace Vision 21 program, which dictates stringent rules and performance standards.

In the first week in May, the business’ hours will expand, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. "With today’s retail market, it’s essential to be open later," Kramer said.

The viewpoint of the Kramers and their employees is on the future. Kramer said they will be adding vacuum cleaners and dog food to the store in the future. On a daily basis, the staff looks for the next person they can help, after they have finished waiting on someone else.

Dick Alger continues to look toward the future as well. Although he no longer is at the helm of the local Ace operation, he has plenty to keep him busy. He continues to work for USEM Inc. and is a musician, playing with the All City Jazz Band and the Austin Big Swing Band.

As for the business transfer, he is sure he has left his legacy with good folks: "We found some really nice people in the Kramers."