BREAKING NEWS: G&R IGA Owner Hopes to Expand into Hardware Business

When the Family Dollar store next to the IGA grocery store moves to its new location across from the Rite Aid in Webster Springs in January, 2013, G&R IGA owner Timothy McCoy plans to open an Ace Hardware store in its spot.

Contacted Tuesday, McCoy said that the Family Dollar lease on that part of the building they now occupy expires on December 31, 2012, and that he has the lease on the building beginning in the new year. McCoy has a tentative agreement with Ace Hardware to open up a franchise store, and he is confident the deal will go through. McCoy plans to connect the new Ace Hardware store to the IGA with an interior door so that customers can travel back and forth between the two stores without going outside to enter the other store.

In addition to the traditional items sold in an Ace Hardware store, McCoy is considering the addition of hunting and fishing supplies, as well as adding an ATM machine, and Coinstar and DVD rental kiosks.  He further plans to set up a system where shoppers at either store can pick up an item in one store, go over to the other store, and pay for both items at the same time.

Perhaps most importantly to the economy of the County, McCoy expects to employ between four to six persons in addition to his current employees at the IGA.  Despite the tough economy in the County, McCoy said he has done the necessary studies on the feasibility of opening an Ace store, and feels confident it can succeed.