BIZ: Ace Hardware expands to accommodate a growing Kingsland
Kingsland Ace Hardware General Manager Chris Martin points out the dimensions of the store's 7,800-square-foot expansion. The new space will likely hold a robust outdoor and sporting goods department and water sports merchandise selection. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Ace Hardware in Kingsland recently poured a new slab that will add 7,800 square-feet of floor space to the home improvement store. The expansion comes as ownership and management seek to match the rapid development of the western Highland Lakes area around Lake LBJ.
“We’re trying to accommodate the growth in Kingsland and provide what people need here, without them having to drive to Marble Falls,” Chris Martin, the store’s general manager, told DailyTrib.com.
According to Martin, plans are not set in stone, but the current intention is to expand upon the location’s outdoors and sporting goods selection, which is currently contained in a 900-square-foot space. The new space will also hold water sports equipment such as kayaks, wakeboards, and inflatables, he said.
With the expansion, the store, located at 2607 RR 1431 West, will have more room for tools, equipment, and hardware in the current space.
“The community is growing, and we do see a need for (this expansion),” Martin said. “We are running out of space in the store’s current state.”
It can be difficult to measure the growth of Kingsland because it is an unincorporated community. The town’s population was estimated at 6,030 in 2010 and 7,028 in 2020, a 16.5 percent increase, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The bureau also shows that the population of Llano County grew from 19,301 in 2010 to 21,243 in 2020, meaning that over half of the county’s growth was in Kingsland. Parts of the lake community are in Burnet County.