One spring day in 1977, a teenager walked into Trustworthy Hardware in Oak Hill in Scarborough. He lived up the road and had been there dozens, perhaps hundreds, of times with his dad. This time was different. The store needed an extra set of hands – would he like a job? It was school vacation week. “Nothing else to do,” he thought. He stayed and worked the entire day, not returning home until 8pm. His worried mother had no idea where he had been. Forty-seven years later, he is still working at the store but now he owns it and it’s called Ace Hardware.
Dan Johnson says he has stayed for one simple reason: “It’s fun.” Mainly, that is because of the people he works with. “You end up being a family,” he says. That’s not just a metaphor anymore. His wife, Anne, and two adult children, Nate and Rebecca, now work alongside him.
The Johnsons own and operate the Ace Hardware stores at Oak Hill and Dunstan Crossing. They’re the people who keep Scarborough supplied with everything from snow shovels to power tools to holiday lights. Decades into the era of big-box stores and online shopping, these stores are thriving thanks to the Johnsons’ signature service and convenience.
Since 1977, the Johnsons, the stores, and Scarborough have all evolved. Dan quickly learned the business and by the mid-1980s, while still in his twenties, he was managing the Oak Hill store. He and Anne married, and she worked at the Dunstan store part-time while raising their two children. Eventually, Dan became manager of both locations and Anne left to pursue a successful career with the Girl Scouts of Maine and earn a master’s degree in adult education. In the late 2000s, the previous owners were ready to sell, and Dan and Anne were their natural successors. Anne returned to run the store’s back office and the Johnsons purchased the business in 2014. By then, the Oak Hill store had expanded into the adjoining retail spaces within the shopping plaza, and would continue growing over the next decade.
Scarborough’s population has more than doubled since 1977. “It was more blue collar back then,” Dan reflects. More people did house projects themselves. When a customer had a problem, it wasn’t unusual for Dan to call over another customer who had just tackled something similar. There are still plenty of do-it-yourselfers in Scarborough, but the store sees less demand for electrical and plumbing supplies, and more demand for things like lawn care, pool supplies, and small appliances.
Today’s customers may be looking for different products, but they want the same personalized experience. “They like the family feel even if they don’t know it’s actually run by a family,” says Rebecca. Sometimes this means helping someone find the right battery for a key fob or fixing a lamp. In summer, it means delivering grills to customers’ homes, assembling them, and taking away the old grill for free. Once, it meant Dan opening the store at midnight for a customer whose sump pump had failed. Another time, he simply gave a late-night customer the store keys and told them to write down what they took. All this effort pays off. “We have a very loyal customer base,” Dan says. “They like the community feel when they walk in here.”
When you meet the Johnsons, you can tell their friendliness is truly who they are, not a marketing ploy. “It’s never been just about sales,” says Rebecca. “It’s about helping customers and having a good time while doing it.”
Keeping things fun seems to be a Johnson family value. Recently, they closed early and invited all their employees to go ax throwing. For their customers they host events like cookouts and garden parties. Rebecca recalls the fun of going to the store after school when she was little – riding on the hand trucks and pestering the employees. When it was time to do inventory, they would lock the door, order Pat’s Pizza, turn on music, and wheel around on rolling chairs as they counted.
Rebecca and Nate worked at the store during high school before leaving to explore other jobs and interests. Nate is an accomplished musician who writes and records his own music. Rebecca is a singer, graphic designer, and marketing consultant. In time, they both chose to return to the family business – Nate in 2000 and Rebecca in 2017. He now manages the Dunstan location and she supports the accounting, marketing, and back-office systems. Dan has welcomed them finding roles and responsibilities that best fit their skills and interests. According to him, the secret to being a good boss is figuring out what an employee needs and what their skills are. “We’re all circles,” he says, “and we have a few flat spots.” If you can figure out where those spots are, you can make adjustments and keep rolling.
The Johnsons stores have developed a reputation for being great places to work, which is probably why they usually don’t have a problem finding help. Most of their employees have been there for at least five to seven years, and some much longer. They accommodate the inevitable events that come up in people’s lives, and support them in finding areas of interest within the store. When one employee developed a passion for Big Green Egg grills, he became their designated expert, answering customer questions and advising them on what accessories to order.
Dan is quick to praise the non-family staff members who help keep the store running. “It’s not just the four of us knuckleheads,” he jokes. “It’s the other knuckleheads too.” Among them are Dave Hobbs, an army veteran who manages the Oak Hill store, and his wife Kris, who were friends of Anne’s family when Nate and Rebecca were growing up. Another longtimer, Jeff Chase, has worked at Oak Hill for nearly as long as Dan and is known as the store’s “fix it” guy. And Neil Manderson, new to his role of manager at Dunstan, has been quickly learning the ropes under Nate’s guidance.
“We have college students, retirees, Scarborough emergency services personnel – everyone on the team brings their own expertise and positive attitude to the job,” says Dan. “We couldn’t do what we do without such a great group.”
True to their roots, the Johnsons still hire high schoolers, even when they require a bit of coaching. One former teen worker, who is now a corporate salesperson, told Dan he attributes his career success to the skills he learned at Ace. Many former employees come back to visit frequently, with some even rejoining the team for a summer and some, like Dan, staying indefinitely.
The Johnsons are generous to their community as well as their staff. Their main cause is the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland (the closest hospital in the Children’s Miracle Network, which the Ace corporation supports). Over the last decade, they have helped raise tens of thousands of dollars to help children facing medical challenges. This year they donated $25 for every grill sold – over $8,000 so far. (That’s a lot of grills.) Over the years, they have also contributed to Project GRACE weatherization projects, countless Eagle Scout projects, and many local causes.
With Nate and Rebecca now onboard, it is clear their family’s contributions to Scarborough and its residents will continue for many years. “Ask about succession!” they heckle as I ask Dan what it’s like to manage his kids. He ignores them, amused and unphased.
Perhaps their ribbing is payback. Rebecca’s bio of Dan on the company website says when he is not at the store, “He can most reliably be found frequenting local coffee establishments and/or giving you a hard time.”
“This has always been a fun place.” Dan says. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
