GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Hagan ACE Hardware is one of the town’s most beloved stores, and it’s the store’s small-town feel that’s made it that.

Don and Ann Hagan opened their first store in 1962 and joined ACE Hardware shortly after in 1964. Their son, Bill Hagan, began working at the store in 1975, which was 45 years ago.

“Having your family name on a building is very humbling,” Hagan said. “With that said, we emphasize to our staff that our family reputation is very important to us, therefore we train everyone to treat all customers with respect, to always do what is fair and right, and to remember when we fail to do this.”

Hagan said all ACE Hardware stores are individually-owned and not all owners use their own name on the building. He said his family chose to put their family name on their stores because it gives their store that locally-owned feeling while maintaining the social recognition that comes with the words “ACE Hardware.”

After running the original Hagan ACE Hardware for more than 40 years, the Hagans moved to a new location at 1305 N. Orange Ave. four years ago.

“The previous owner of the ACE store in Green Cove Springs, Mr. Cartwright had called me years earlier asking if I would consider buying his store when he was ready to retire and my answer was a quick yes,” Hagan said. “With operating another location in Clay County for over 40 years, we were anxious to grow our brand and Green Cove gave us that opportunity.”

The Green Cove Springs’ manager, Joan Saunders, was born and raised in Penney Farms, and she still lives there. She recently celebrated 45 years with the company, and she said what makes the Hagan ACE Hardware store in Green Cove Springs stand out amongst her long tenure with the company is the people she works with, the customers she sees every day, and simply walking into the store ready to work.

“Come see us in Green Cove Springs because we are a fun bunch of people and we will take care of you,” Saunders said.

Hagan said like Saunders, he feels blessed to have their customers. He remembers greeting a customer one Saturday morning with, “Good morning, how may I help you today?” The customer looked at his wife and said, “I told you so,” while never actually acknowledging Hagan.

“As you can imagine, I was very confused, so after waiting a few minutes, I approached the gentleman as he was in the hardware aisle and asked if I had done or said anything wrong as I greeted him at the front door,” Hagan said. “He quickly explained that he had been to two of our competitors that morning without getting any help whatsoever, and he told his wife, as they were walking toward the front door, ‘you watch, I probably won’t get three steps inside the store without someone offering to help me, so when you greeted me as the door opened, that is the reason I turned to her and said I told you so.’

“We achieved an amazing customer experience with that gentleman, which is our stated mission.

“We have been in Green Cove Springs for just over four years and during that short period of time, we have already doubled the size of the store, which expresses our optimism about the community. We have been welcomed with open arms and are doing our very best to build on the legacy of Brown and Cartwright ACE Hardware and to serve our Green Cove friends and neighbors well.”