Westlake Ace Hardware is closing its Overland Park location on College Boulevard.
The Lenexa-based national hardware chain has operated a store at the College Square shopping center, 12202 College Blvd., at the corner with Quivira Road, for decades.
The news surprised employees
Store manager Erika Tritz said employees were given opportunities to relocate to other nearby Westlake Ace locations.
The College Square store will be open through Saturday, Aug. 26.
The company says it’s an isolated closing, with more locations opening around the metro in the coming months.
Tritz suggested there was not an issue with the store’s performance, but rather a leasing problem that precipitated the decision.
“It looks like we got priced out of the building, unfortunately,” Tritz said. “It’s a leasing issue, which is happening more and more, not a Westlake issue.”
Westlake’s local headquarters wouldn’t comment on what drove the decision to close the long-standing College Boulevard store.
Stuart Presley, Westlake Ace Hardware Regional Manager, issued the following statement:
“We don’t comment on the details of our lease agreements. As a retailer, we are continually analyzing such factors as traffic, sales, and agreements for our stores,” he said.
College Square space expected to be filled
Dwight Medbery, of Rubenstein Real Estate, said Westlake’s lease at College Square runs through November.
Rubenstein manages the entire College Square shopping center and says the retail footprint is fully occupied, otherwise.
Medbery said they are confident that they will have a new tenant finalized soon and in place by early 2024.
“The area is doing very well with Hen House as the anchor tenant,” Medbery said. “We should have a new tenant in place, after some minor renovations.”
He said they have already begun negotiating a lease for the 18,400-square-foot building with a local retailer that already has multiple locations in the area.
Discounts at closing Westlake store
Markdowns have already begun around the store. Bagged goods, like dirt, mulch, rock and salt, are already 50% off, and other red-tagged items are 75%.
Westlake Ace Hardware at College and Quivira will continue to operate through the month of August. Hours will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week through Aug. 26.
The College Square location opened as Goodman Ace Hardware in 1989. In 1997, the store reopened as Westlake Ace Hardware.
The 117-year-old Westlake Ace Hardware brand has been part of the Ace Hardware Cooperative since 1959, and a wholly owned Ace subsidiary since 2012.
Westlake owns more than 150 Ace Hardware stores across 12 states, with nearly two dozen stores in the Kansas City area.
New Westlake stores opening in the region include one in Liberty, Missouri, in September, and another in Olathe in December.
Ben McCarthy is a contributor to the Post and other publications in the Kansas City area. He can be reached at ben.c.mccarthy@gmail.com with questions, comments and story suggestions.
