Westlake Ace opens Bolivar store

Lenexa, Kan.-based Westlake Ace Hardware opened its first store in Bolivar March 1.

The move represents the first opening for Westlake since Oakbrook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware Corp. purchased Westlake Ace, a co-op member, and its 30 Missouri locations in December. In all, Westlake Ace operates 85 stores across seven central U.S. states, which Ace Hardware purchased for $88 million. The retailer-owned Ace Hardware cooperative owns roughly 4,400 stores worldwide.

In addition to hardware products, the 17,845-square-foot Bolivar store, 2300 S. Springfield Ave., features an outdoor yard-and-garden center and outdoor cooking products such as grills. The Bolivar store also is the anchor tenant in Phase II of the city's Railway Station project, according to a news release.

To celebrate the grand opening, the store has scheduled a series of events March 15-17. At 8 a.m. March 15, Westlake officials plan to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony, which is slated to include Bolivar Mayor John Best, the release said.