In 1918, Joe Boling and C. G. Bettis started a small country store, Boling & Bettis General Store, in Cumming, GA less than a half-mile north of the current store we call ‘Ace Hardware Midway.’ The business operated in a small, one-bedroom house before moving to a 1,800 sqft building in 1951, where they added gas pumps and a mill to make flour and cornmeal. In 1960, an additional 4,000 sqft was added to the store to make it the first "buggy pushing" supermarket in Forsyth County. It was a thriving country store for several years where residents could purchase groceries, hardware, building supplies, farm supplies, clothing, toys, and gas.

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In 1979, the building supply portion of the business was sold off and became ‘Midway Building Supply.’ It was then that Ace Hardware Midway was born, ushering in the Ace Hardware era. Ace Hardware Midway moved on October 5th, 1984 to a new building at 4947 Hwy 9, a small engine shop was added in 1986, and other additions were made in succeeding years. In 1996 the Ace chain purchased Sibley-Roper Hardware at 2000 Canton Hwy. And then, in 1999 the company built a 24,000 sqft building at 4715 Hammond Industrial Drive to open a third store.

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These three stores were the first of many purchased by the current owner, Darin Workman, and his partners in 2014. Just eight months later they purchased Ace Hardware Woodmont, an 18,000 sqft store in Canton, GA to add to their Georgia store portfolio. In 2016, Workman and his partners expanded their territory into the South Carolina market with the purchase of Ace Hardware Three Fountains in West Columbia, SC, a 12,000 sqft store with a large greenhouse. In 2018, they ventured out to Tennessee with the purchase of three stores near Nashville: Ace Hardware Donelson, Ace Hardware Springfield, and Ace Hardware White House.

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With eight stores under it's belt, the Ace Hardware chain was thriving and fast-growing, which led to the sale of the company in the Summer of 2019, and The Helpful Hardware Company, LLC was born. In July of 2020, The Helpful Hardware Co. continued its pursuit of store acquisitions and purchased Ace Hardware Duncan in Goose Creek, SC. This 12,000 sqft store was the first of many store purchases of the new company. Not even a year following the purchase of Duncan, Indian Trail Hardware was purchased and converted to Ace Hardware Indian Trail in May 2021. Brookstone Ace Hardware and Southern Home & Garden were acquired toward the end of 2021. Ace Hardware Cordova was acquired in April 2022 and Westbury's Ace Hardware joined the chain of stores in December 2022, followed by Ace Hardware North Hall, Ace Hardware Bethlehem, Ace Hardware Ladson in 2023, and Ace Hardware Mint Hill in 2024. Totaling 19 locations in the Southeastern chain.

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The company is owned by JPB Partners out of Hanover, MD. JPB Partners provides The Helpful Hardware Co. funding for growth and oversight with a Board of Directors. With their support, The Helpful Hardware Co. continues to seek opportunities for growth and expansion in the Southeast.

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At The Helpful Hardware Co., we are extremely proud to be part of a tradition that dates back nearly 100 years. Today, we are stronger than ever. Our roots in the community are deep and our commitment to customer satisfaction is strong.