Shops at Dunnavant Square signs tenant for largest retail space
The largest tenant of the Shops at Dunnavant Square will be a familiar one. ACE Hardware signed a contract in December to lease 7,000 square feet of the shopping center.
Originally designed to be seven separate spaces, the walls have been removed for ACE to take up the entire area, leaving only two other spaces available. The two remaining spaces will possibly be restaurants, according to Kathy Dennis of the Shopping Center Group.
Work to be done at the new location includes installing lighting, floors, HVAC and electrical. A new and larger exterior will be added to the front of the building and cosmetic work will be done on the outside, with a small addition behind the building.
For the past 50 years, David Majure, president of Southeast ACE Hardware, and his family have operated a group of retail stores scattered around Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, but it wasn’t until two years ago that they decided to begin opening ACE Hardware stores.
After opening a location in Pell City at the end of October, Majure turned his focus to the Dunnavant Square location in mid-November and signed the lease before Christmas. He said this will be Birmingham’s first “Pinnacle ACE” location.
“We’ve been looking in the Birmingham market since we got involved with ACE, and there’s not a multistore operator in this market,” Majure said. “We were looking for a spot to be a neighborhood store and have a hometown feel, and that particular area gave us that.”
This will be the fourth store that Majure has opened in the past two years, including two others in Tuscaloosa and Pell City and another in Mississippi. He said they plan to continue expanding in Alabama and will be opening another location in the state within the next year.
The ACE Pinnacle store is all about lifestyle brands, which will include STIHL, Benjamin Moore, Yeti, Big Green Egg, Traeger, Craftsman and Milwaukee Tools. The Dunnavant location will also feature a significant hometown series gift and garden department that will be home to high end gifts for children and women.
Although this will be their smallest store, Majure said there will be plenty of merchandise both inside and outside, along with helpful and knowledgeable employees on hand to assist shoppers.
“We try to hire people who have experience in areas including plumbing, electrical and hardware so they can give the customers the best advice for their needs,” he said.
Along with store manager Ken Smith, who has been managing the store in Tuscaloosa, there will be eight full-time and eight part-time employees.
Majure said the store will have a fun environment and have everything from baby and wedding gifts, but also has fun things guys want from coolers to drills or lawnmowers. They will also offer same day delivery for online purchases.
The store has a target opening date of April 15, which coincides with the Mt Laurel Spring Festival. Store hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday