Family-run hardware business celebrates 75 years in Whitefish

Nelson’s Ace Hardware and the town of Whitefish have been growing hand in hand for the past 75 years. 

Rick Nelson’s parents were on their way to Spokane in 1947 when they stopped in Whitefish, bought the Marshall Wells Catalog store, created Nelson’s Ace Hardware store and stayed. Rick was born into the hardware business and took ownership with his brother when he was just 24 years old.

Rick painted a picture of Whitefish when the store began. It had 1,000 people working for the railroad in town, Columbia Falls was just starting at that time and logging was booming after World War II. He said Whitefish was a “very vibrant town.”

He said people shopped locally and downtown was full of all kinds of businesses. There were three drug stores, three grocery stores and four or five gas stations downtown. He also recalled clothing stores, a “five and dime” and two theaters.

“We lived in the apartment above the hardware store until I was 18. Most shop owners lived above their shops. It was a real community,” Rick said. “I did love living here. It was the quality of life that kept me here.”

Rick said his customers taught him everything from plumbing to wiring and joked that he has a Ph.D. in hardware.

“We wouldn't be here for 70-plus years without a clientele that supported us through thick and thin and was there for us,” Rick said.

Rick’s wife, Marilyn, began working in the store in 2000 and the amount of family involvement in the business is remarkable. 

Marilyn’s brother designed and built the new store on U.S. 93. The fact that he typically builds high-end homes is evident in the rooflines, materials and details seldom seen in a commercial building.

The family broke ground for the new location in July 2018 and opened the doors in March 2019.

Her grand-nephew owns Northstone Solar and installed the solar panels system on the roof. All of Marilyn’s kids, grandchildren and siblings have, at one time or another, worked in the store.

“It’s really a family business, for sure,” Marilyn said.

The Nelsons have always valued the community and say it is the reason they’ve been in business this long. Marilyn said it is a gift to have an opportunity to play a role in the community and added that she is full of gratitude for being able to provide what they do for the community.

“You can’t expect your employees to treat your customers well unless you treat your employees well,” Marilyn said. “You can't expect your community to support you unless you support them first. [That’s] always been a philosophy of ours.”

THE NELSONS had owned the store for 50 years when they transferred it to their daughter, Mariah Joos, in 2020. They also passed down the guiding principles that lie at the heart of their business.

“Things change and you have to have … certain core values that you hang on to regardless of how evolution goes,” Marilyn said. “And I think those are our appreciation for our customers, our gratitude for our community and our ethos of kindness … and [we] aspire to give back out our community.”

The transition has been seamless for customers because Joos works to keep the store a trusted landmark by holding to the business’ tenets.

“The reason that we can have the business we have is because of the unwavering support of the community. It's astounding,” Joos said. “Everybody has a choice as to how they spend their money and it is something that we very deeply respect.”

She is also grateful for the store’s employees, “an amazing group of people,” as well as the business community that chooses to support the hardware store.

“Whether it’s the mountain, or Averill Hospitality, or Grouse or the property management companies, or the bank,” Joos said. “We, as a business community, all support each other which allows us … to support the community at large.”

Joos has taken what she’s learned in the store and has developed a new service, Ace Handyman.

“One of the things we see in the store on a regular basis is that skilled labor is a hard thing to find with how much construction is going on,” Joos said. “It can be hard to find any help doing things around your house.”

She added that while there is much to be learned via YouTube, do-it-yourself is not for everyone.

To help with common household repairs, Ace Handyman is a new service Nelsons began offering in October. Customers can request anything from plumbing and electrical repairs to light fixture installation and drywall patching. Thus far, only one employee is providing the service but the plan is to expand. 

“Ace Handyman … is meant to extend that attitude we have here in the store into coming into your home,” Joos said. “We took that step really judiciously because it's one thing for people to come to us and choose to trust us with what we’re telling them. It's another thing to trust someone coming into your home, so we take that very seriously.”

The hardware store that has served that community for 75 years is also an amazing thing, and each generation of the Nelson family has helped it grow to what it is today.

“My dad always says, ‘It’s never been about selling hardware. It’s a relationship business,’” she said. “People come to us with a problem and what they’re looking for is help with the problem.”

    Nelson's Ace Hardware has been serving the community from their new location since 2019. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)