Paradis Ace Hardware — Local services in Bar Harbor

Our story begins with my idiocy; far from home, pitching a tent at our campsite, I forgot the tent stakes at home. There was a car accident on the road to Walmart which meant it would be a 45min journey to get there…yikes! Hoping beyond hope, we went to the nearest Hannaford’s, immediately realizing the dinky establishment would not, in fact, have tent stakes. We looked on the map…like a beacon in the dark, Ace Hardware shone out at us. We dashed two buildings over on foot to find one of the employees locking the doors. Despite closing in 2min, they showed us such mercy and let us in, directing us with their godlike knowledge to exactly what we needed. We were in and out in less than 5min owing to their professionalism, appropriate urgency, and knowledge. They saved us a grueling, miserable trip through traffic, or worse, a night of cramped huddling in the car. And what lovely, chipper people! Despite my ardent apologies, they assured me all was well and it was no trouble at all…even though they were 2min past closing when we left. What angels. I cannot speak highly enough of these lovely, helpful people. For your urgent camping needs, skip the price-gouging tourist traps- get a fair price, exceedingly kind service, and a clutch...

Since Paradis' transition from TruValue to Ace Hardware the store is packed even more full of even the rarest albeit necessary items. Prices on big items like new EGO cordless mowers and chainsaws or plumbing bits like valuable Shark fittings are the same price as Amazon. It's great to have a local store with competetive pricing so I can avoid giving $$ to Amazon instead my $$ gets injected into Bar Harbor's micro-economy. The automotive section is a mini version of Advanced Auto. I can't stop picking up inexpensive LED bulbs at 50 cents per bulb. Many items are less expensive than Home Depot. They even have a gardening & groundskeeping section in a separate building for easy loading on a pickup truck. Customer service is excellent, always a floor person prowling around looking to help in finding fiddly bits. Paint section is huge. Always a parking space even during...

We bought a soft cooler that leaked like crazy and wet our entire car back seat. They had the attitude of "too bad, so sad" when we tried to return it. The fine print did say it kept things cool without ice, but I'm sorry, it's a cooler! Ice or no ice, it should work. We even offered to take store credit to purchase another, but no deal. The person at the service desk checked with who I assumed to be the manager, and she was completely dismissive and surly saying it was used and they couldn't re-sell it. Needless to say, we won't be recommending this store to anyone that appreciates...