No one is smiling more than Andy Pruismann, the new manager of the store, which is located at 541 Second St.

The soft opening was very quiet, with the doors unlocked for customers at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. The word got out quietly, but by Thursday afternoon, the store was full of people checking out the new merchandise, meeting the staff and buying.

Nothing could make the smiles go away.

Pruismann and his wife live in Webster City, and are graduates of the Webster City High School, class of 2006.

Freeman-Journal photo by Kolleen Taylor
Store manager Andy Pruismann proudly stands at the opening of the new Ace Hardware store located in the 500 block of Second Street.

“We were high school sweethearts,” said his wife Annessa. The Pruismanns have six children, Asher, Adley, Ander, Alston, Ames and Atto.

Pruismann was the owner of Pruismann Precision Painting for the past fourteen years, but he was previously the Sales and General Manager at Petersons Flooring of Story City.

The store has new employees, but they are still looking for a few more. The current employees include Rande Roberts, Annessa Pruismann, John Dodge, Brady Gose, Sam Pinkle, Mariah Eastwood, Lestat Day and Trevyn Orton.

Annessa Pruismann is in charge of the social media and communications functions for the store, and said not quite everything is complete yet.

“We will be set up for UPS,” said Annessa Pruismann. “We’ve had a lot of questions about this, but it’s not set up yet.”

Future plans include adding a photo printer in the store, and offering workshops for both families and adults. Examples include many “how to” workshops, such as building a birdhouse, painting techniques and putting together planters.

“We’re trying to make it a community hub,” she explained.

Walking through the store, there are some changes from previous hardware stores. There is a very large line of grills and grilling supplies in addition to a large section of seasonings and rubs for outdoor cooking.

The new store hours are as follows:

Monday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturdays: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sundays: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The official grand opening will be from June 18 to 20, with a ribbon cutting on June 19. During those days, there will be lots of family related activities, drawings and give-aways. Until then, the store will be finalizing details, and they encourage the community to come in and check out all the new items.

The store is open for business, and ready for us all to help support their efforts.