Ziegler’s Ace Hardware on Elgin’s west side closing after 44 years

After 44 years on Elgin’s west side, the owners of Ziegler’s Ace Hardware on Lillian Street have announced the store will close.

Adam Ziegler, company president and the fourth generation of his family in the hardware business, said the location “hadn’t been profitable for a while.”

“It was a very tough decision, not something we took lightly,” Ziegler said. “But at the end of the day, it had to be done.”

Ziegler said the 15 employees at the store have all accepted jobs at other locations, mostly in the downtown Elgin store at 215 N. Spring St. and the South Elgin location at 301 S. Randall Road.

“It was important to me to be able to offer all those folks jobs,” he said.

While the store at 1158 Lillian St. was once considered the west side of Elgin, Ziegler said shopping habits shifted further west to Randall Road.

“It’s bittersweet for all of us. You don’t want to close a store,” Ziegler said. “But there’s not a lot over here, and sometimes you have to do what’s best for the business.”

Ziegler said they’ll list the property for sale soon.

The store closed for a day Tuesday to get ready for their liquidation sale, which started Wednesday. Ziegler said the sale will probably last eight to 10 weeks, including selling the fixtures.

“Pretty much everything goes,” he said, adding that selling everything at a discount is more efficient than moving the volume of inventory to other locations.

The longtime Elgin company started in 1930 when Adam Ziegler’s great-grandfather, Lyle Ziegler, purchased Meehan’s Hardware, which had been in business since 1856 in downtown Elgin. They joined the Ace Hardware Corporation in 1934.

Lyle Ziegler’s two sons, Gregg and Jim, took over the business and were succeeded by their sons, David and Brian. David, Adam’s father, is still involved in the business.

After the Lillian Street store closes, Ziegler’s Ace Hardware will still have nine locations, including Bartlett, Carpentersville, Cary, Crystal Lake, Huntley, Lake in the Hills and Roscoe.

The fact that the company has two other locations so close — the downtown Elgin location is less than three miles away, and South Elgin is about five miles away — made the decision a little less painful when it came to disappointing their loyal customers.

“We’re trying to get the word out to customers that they can go to South Elgin, they can go to downtown Elgin, and they’re going to see familiar faces,” Ziegler said. “Plus, we’ve got great people already at the other stores. So they’re going to get the same great family service that they’re used to.”

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