Costello's ACE Hardware Working to Keep Up With Irene Demands

It's a common theme when a hurricane is looming - local residents flocking to supermarkets and hardware stores, making sure they have the essentials to survive should power go out or should significant damage be done to their area.

For business owners like Michael Costello, the president of Costello's ACE Hardware, which owns numerous ACE stores on Long Island, the demand for items in these stores skyrockets.

"Our store traffic is triple what it normally is," he said. "We've seen extremely long lines."

What makes the situation even more challenging is that the demand is only for a few specific items, like batteries, flashlights, packing tapes, generators and generator equipment - the "standard hurricane stuff," as Costello called it. For Costello, who works with distributors to get the supplies to stock the stores, the goal is simple: Find as many vendors who can supply these items as possible.

"Demand is not anything we can plan for," he said. "It’s a matter of how many times you can stock [a store] with more goods. That’s what I do. I search all of our possible vendors."

In times of remarkable demand, like today, Costello works with whoever he can to keep his 17 Long Island stores stocked. Many of the vendors he relies on, including ACE's main distribution center, end up short, causing him to look to new sources. Wherever he can find a vendor, he uses them, even if he hasn't worked with them before.

"We [added] three new vendors for batteries," he said. "We have to worry about keeping 17 stores in stock. Every time we buy something, we slot it to 17 stores. It might last a couple of hours, or a day, and then we do it over again."

Costello, who owns stores stretching from Bellmore to Nesconset (including one in Bethpage, on the Levittown border), knows his goal is to satisfy the demand. It's not an easy one, but he's doing everything he can to try and do so.

"Securing product and getting ready for a storm of this magnitude, I don’t know if it’s possible to do without hiccups," he said. "Our job is to go out and make as many customers satisfied as possible."