Forest Lake Ace Hardware — Attraction in Forest Lake

From what the manager was telling me, they've recently been purchased by new owner. The layout of the store is much easier to navigate and find things. New owners (potentially) but have the same kind of employees that I as customer, have come to appreciate. I was in a bit of a rush this afternoon with snowmagedon on brink of hitting us. The auger belt for my snow blower was stretched out and no longer engaging and with 20" of the cold stuff coming, I was pretty worried. I ran into an employee that was clearly in middle of doing something so I asked him if he could just point me in the direction of vbelts. Instead of directing me, he stopped with what he was doing and dedicated the next 10 minutes to me exclusively. We couldn't find an exact part for model I have but he matched the specs with a different brand, with guarantee that if it didn't fit or work to just bring it back. They'd exchange or refund no questions. Armed with a new vbelt and good vibes from experience I'd just had, I sprinted out to my car and back to the shop to change belts. It was a bit of a process to get it on but once it was, it ran like a top.

Theres so much negativity highlighted and put on blast these days. It's impossible to escape most of it as our phones keep us plugged into a 24/7 news cycle. I decided that whenever I experience something exceptionally positive from a business or employee, I'd take the time to write up a few words so that those actions/ people etc. can get some much needed love and highlight. There's so much more good than bad out there. It's only that the good doesn't "sell" as easily or get the traffic and clicks. The not so good and the ugliest are really good at being crazy loud and in your face. Its the very least I can do with trying to spread a little light when able, highlighting the positive and great experiences you can have with a stranger.

All the rambling aside, this is most definitely a place I'd recommend to anyone in the area looking for something specific or needing assistance on finding the right thing. Ill drive outta my way to go there again whenever the...

I went to buy a grill and was at Menards so I looked at what they had to offer. I had just got an email from Ace about a grill sale so I called them to verify if Treager grills had Wifi--they call it Wifire. and was told yes ALL treagers have wifire. I immediately went to Ace to look at them and was told the model I want was advertised but out of stock. They agreed to order it for me and honor the price and free set up and delivery. I chose Ace because I do not have a truck and with some medical issues I couldn't set it up. At time of purchase I was promised that this grill had the Wifire option. The grill was delivered today, I went to set up my Wifire and could not find directions. I called Ace Hardware to get help, they assured me all Treager grills had Wifire but they were unsure how to do it and I should check with Treager or YouTube. After 45 minutes on hold Treager told me this model does NOT have Wifire and I should contact the sell. I drove into town and explained the situation to the staff who were very understanding. They Called Tim (the owner) and he told them he would not have it pick up. I bought from Ace because I do not have a truck to haul it. They misrepresented their product and I understand that these things happen, the difference is the way they correct their mistakes. Shame on you, I can only choose to spend my...

I normally dont travel this far and when I do it's on my motorcycle. For the last 2 hours I have been looking for a cookie press. I called several places that got my hopes up, all to find out they didn't have it in stock. I called Ace spoke to Margaret on the phone she was nice enough to look and see if they had it before I even asked her too. She was friendly and very helpful, she found the only one they had left and she told me she would hold it for me. I was coming from 35 Minutes away and when I got there Margaret knew it was me and greeted me at the door. She greeted me with a smile, and she grabbed the cookie press for me. It's not just the fact that she had what I was looking for, but the fact that she was willing to help and was kind while doing it. You can honestly see she loves helping others, thank you Margaret and Ace Hardware for helping make my...