Ace Hardware and The Grommet have announced a joint collaboration to bring the innovations of local makers into Ace Hardware retail stores.
The new relationship will leverage the strength and passion of locally-owned Ace stores with the ingenuity of undiscovered inventors, known as “makers,” according to Ace. The partnership between the two will roll out in select Ace stores this holiday season and will extend through 2017.
For the launch, 20 unique products from The Grommet, sourced from 15 local Makers, will debut in more than 160 Ace stores. Assortments will be updated each season. Products will fit in the following 10 categories:
- Made in the USA
- Sustainable Living
- Made for a Lifetime
- Tech & Innovation
- Handcrafted
- Independent Maker
- Social Enterprises
- Philanthropy
- Underrepresented Entrepreneurs
- Crowd-funded
“The partnership with The Grommet not only aligns with the passions of our local owners, but fuels our desire to further Ace as the place for the dreamers, inventors, innovators and makers. We are proud to stand with The Grommet and their platform for local makers,” said John Venhuizen, president and CEO, Ace Hardware.
The Grommet has discovered and brought to market dozens of now household brand names, including FitBit, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and SodaStream. To date, launches have included more than 2,200 innovative consumer products and amassed a community of nearly three million early adopters and supporters, the company said.
