Clarks Ace Hardware In Howard County Sold To Westlake Ace Hardware

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Clarks Ace Hardware has helped Howard County residents with their projects since 1845. Seven generations of Clarks have tended to the store but as of June 24, the business will fall under new ownership.

The family-owned business is selling to a Kansas City company with 160 hardware stores located in a dozen states. Clarks Ace Hardware was founded in 1845 by John L. Clark and has become the third oldest family-owned hardware retailer in America. Margaret Clark, the seventh generation to work at the store and the youngest of five children, told Patch the original store was located in Old Ellicott City where it remained until the Agnes storm of 1972. The family opened a second location toward the end of 2022 in Columbia off McGaw Road.

"My father, Andy, and my Uncle Ed moved the business onto Route 40 to get it out of the flood zone and more parking. They used the old hardware store as a storage area until they sold the building a few years later. They rented a space near St. Johns Lane until my father and mother bought my uncle out and saved up enough to build the hardware store in it's current location in Ellicott City in 1991," Margaret Clark told Patch.

In the beginning, Clarks Ace Hardware sold coal, had a blacksmith and offered a lot of farming supplies like feed and tractors, in addition to regular hardware store supplies.

"As the times evolved, so did our product mix. We still sell all the normal hardware store items, but we also have unique decor items, we are a grilling destination and are heavy into lawn and garden. We still provide a lot of services like repair small engines, program vehicle keys, sharpen knives, fix screens and refill propane," Clark said.

Clark took over the business from her father in 2017. She told Patch she's ready to spend more time with her kids and pursue other passions.

"I felt a strong sense of duty when taking over for my father in 2017. I have since had a shift in the last couple of years to pursue helping to reinforce positive mental health and will be going back to school to pursue something along those lines. My father did retire in 2017, but I am far off from retirement. I have a lot left in me to give back to the community, just in a different way," Clark said.

The last day Clarks Ace Hardware will be in the family will be June 23. There will be a customer appreciation event and Clark family send-off June 22.