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Business & Tech

Geneva Hardware Closing Leaves Gap That New Ace Could Fill

Shuttered Geneva Hardware is a blow to the community, but Ace may be returning to its former State Street location soon.

The abrupt closing last week of barely five months since moving to St. Charles left many people stunned.

The store had changed from the , then left its longtime West State Street location to move into the former Dominick's space just west of town, but with a St. Charles address.

"The community has a great loss," former Geneva Hardware Housewares Manager Beth Willadsen said. "It was bad enough when we moved down the street, but now to have closed the doors and our community no longer has a community hardware store. This is just tragic."

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Willadsen said she learned she was out of a job two hours after the store closed on July 31. She was reluctant to speculate on why the store failed so quickly after moving to St. Charles, but said she was frustrated.

"I've been in retail for 35 years, and it (management) didn't match any model of retail I've encountered," she said. "We could see the (customer) numbers dwindling, and we could see customers walking out the store empty-handed."

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In addition to a commercial loss, 29 people are without jobs. Willadsen was just shy of her one-year anniversary, but many of the employees, including 86-year-old Dean Clayton, have been in the hardware industry and at the store for years.

"I've had my second family just ripped from me," Willadsen said.

She said it was a great job, and that the staff was a "wonderful, tight-knit family, always caring for each other." 

She also said there was an unbelievable loyalty to Geneva, not only with the customers but with some contractors following the move to St. Charles.

Owner Mike Dickson did not respond to attempts to contact him. His former landlord at the State Street location, Bill Rosenfelder of Key Investment and Management, has filed a lawsuit seeking nearly $160,000 in back rent from Dickson. Rosenfelder said Dickson was actually evicted from the store before his move last March.

Rosenfelder said he's still negotiating through Ace with several interested parties in the former location, and that "we're very close."

"It hasn't happened yet, but we're very excited," he said. "We've gone through the fourth contender for it, all recommended to us by Ace Hardware."

Rosenfelder said his family has been in Geneva since 1917 and has been active in the community. 

"We brought an Ace Hardware to Geneva," he said.

He said he's working dilligently to get the potential party in the store, saying there's a big interest in closing the deal.

"I hope we can get everything signed, possibly (this) week," Rosenfelder said.

He also added that he's willing to help the potential buyer with his own hardware-store expertise, which spans decades, to "get this thing going and get it running."

In the meantime, Willadsen said she conducted an open house/wake for her former co-workers whom she said are going to be in "dire straits with this economy."

"Working there with those people was a really great experience. I was glad to have the job, and I'm sorry that the job is gone," she said. 

She remembered some advice from her grandmother, who always told her to take the bitter with the sweet.

"Right now I could use a bit more of the sweet," she said. 

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