Marin Ace Hardware And Standard

What Marin Ace Hardware And Standard does

Marin Ace Hardware And Standard operates a portfolio of six independently owned Ace Hardware retail stores across the San Francisco Bay Area, marketed collectively as Stan's Hardware. The flagship Marin Ace opened in San Rafael on December 15, 2011, and the group has expanded through acquisitions of Laurel Ace (Oakland, 2017), Oakley Ace, Antioch Ace, and Pittsburg Ace (all 2019), alongside the original Standard 5&10 Ace in San Francisco's Laurel Village. Each store carries 25,000+ SKUs across 13 departments — automotive, paint, plumbing, electrical, tools, lawn and garden, hardware, cleaning, heating/cooling, home goods, outdoor living, pet supplies, and office/school — with access to an additional 250,000+ products through Ace's cooperative distribution. The offering extends beyond commodity hardware into premium specialty brands (Weber, Traeger, Big Green Egg, Yeti, Sodastream, Radio Flyer) and value-added services such as paint color matching, key cutting, knife sharpening, propane exchange, lock re-keying, and Rug Doctor rentals.

Revenue mechanics are predominantly transactional retail: in-store sales, online ordering via AceHardware.com with free ship-to-store and curbside pickup, same-day local delivery within a 5-mile radius for orders over $25, and a growing B2B channel called The Supply Place, which offers business accounts with volume pricing, dedicated account management (Stuart Brody), and a 2% rebate for Ace Rewards members. The company monetizes the Ace Rewards loyalty program, military and senior discount programs, and a price-match guarantee against local competitors. Customer segments include DIY homeowners (primary), contractors and tradespeople, and B2B commercial accounts, supplemented by extensive community engagement — school and sports team sponsorships, pollinator-protection events with local beekeepers, charitable round-ups for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, and neonicotinoid-free plant inventory. Operations run 362 days per year, and the business achieved Pinnacle Performance status from Ace Hardware (top 10% of 5,000+ stores) in 2016-2019.

Name

Marin Ace Hardware And Standard

Legal name

Marin Ace Hardware

Website

https://marinace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marin Ace Hardware And Standard operates six independently owned Ace Hardware retail stores across the San Francisco Bay Area under the Stan's Hardware umbrella, selling hardware, home improvement, paint, lawn and garden, and specialty products to DIY consumers, contractors, and B2B commercial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hardware Retail

NAICS

Hardware Retailers (444140), Hardware Retailers (44414)

akta.pro primary industry

General Home Improvement & Hardware Stores (CRAIADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor & Specialty Major Appliance Retail (Outdoor Kitchens, Grills, Ice Makers) (CRACACAG)

Keywords

• Hardware retail store
• Home improvement supplies
• Paint and tools
• Lawn and garden
• Business supply accounts

Headquarters

HQ city

San Rafael

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Hardware Sales: Primary revenue from in-store and online sales of hardware, home improvement, paint, lawn & garden, automotive, plumbing, electrical, tools, and housewares products. The six stores carry over 25,000 items on shelves with access to 250,000+ products through Ace Hardware distribution.
2. Business/Commercial Accounts: B2B revenue through 'The Supply Place' program offering business accounts with volume pricing, 2% rebate for Ace Rewards members, and dedicated account management for office supplies, cleaning products, hardware, and landscaping materials.
3. Special Orders and Custom Services: Revenue from special orders (keys, watch batteries, special products), knife sharpening, assembly services, and propane tank exchanges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Marin Ace Hardware operates six neighborhood Ace Hardware retail stores across the San Francisco Bay Area, selling hardware, paint, tools, plumbing, electrical, lawn & garden, automotive, cleaning, housewares, and specialty products (Weber, Traeger, Big Green Egg, Yeti, Sodastream, Radio Flyer). The stores offer in-store shopping plus services such as key cutting, knife sharpening, paint color matching, lock re-keying, watch battery replacement, propane exchange (Blue Rhino), Rug Doctor rentals, and free same-day delivery within 5 miles. B2B customers are served through 'The Supply Place' program with volume pricing, dedicated account management, and Ace Rewards rebates.

Product overview

Marin Ace Hardware And Standard is a multi-location Ace Hardware retail chain offering a comprehensive hardware store experience. The store operates as a single unified retail offering rather than a platform architecture. The product portfolio spans 13 main departments (Automotive, Bird & Pet Supplies, Cleaning Supplies, Electrical & Lighting, Hardware, Heating & Cooling, Home Goods & Housewares, Lawn & Garden, Office & School Supplies, Outdoor Living, Paint, Plumbing, and Tools) plus specialty product categories including Weber Grills, Traeger Grills, Big Green Egg, Canning Supplies, Housewares, Radio Flyer, Sodastream, Yeti, and Eco Friendly Products. Additional services include key copying, watch battery replacement, knife sharpening, paint color matching, lock re-keying, and free same-day delivery. The company operates online through AceHardware.com with ship-to-store and curbside pickup options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weber Grills Specialty product line offering Weber gas, charcoal, electric, and pellet grills, grilling tools, grill covers, and wood chips. Includes in-store services such as assembly, delivery, and same-day local delivery availability. Targeted at Bay Area homeowners seeking premium outdoor cooking equipment.
• Traeger Grills Specialty product line of Traeger wood pellet grills offering 6-in-1 versatility for grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, braising, and BBQ, including accessories, wood pellets, and rubs. Targeted at outdoor cooking enthusiasts in the Bay Area.
• Big Green Egg Specialty product line of kamado-style ceramic grills for versatile outdoor cooking including grilling, smoking, baking, and roasting. Targeted at outdoor cooking enthusiasts in the Bay Area.
• Yeti Specialty product line of Yeti coolers, tumblers, water bottles, beverage tubs, and insulated drinkware. Targeted at Bay Area consumers seeking premium outdoor and lifestyle cooling products.
• Canning Supplies Specialty product line including Mason jars, Ball and Kerr brands, preserving kits, pectin, and canning accessories for jams, pickles, and food preservation. Targeted at DIY food preservers in the Bay Area.
• Sodastream Specialty product line of Sodastream soda makers and CO2 canister exchanges. Targeted at Bay Area consumers seeking at-home carbonated beverage solutions.
• Radio Flyer Specialty product line of classic red wagons, cargo wagons, tricycles, bikes, and toy trucks for children. Targeted at Bay Area families.
• Eco Friendly Products Specialty product line of environmentally-friendly products including neonicotinoid-free plants, eco-friendly cleaners, solar-powered items, and recycling services for batteries and fluorescent bulbs. Targeted at environmentally conscious Bay Area consumers.
• Housewares Specialty product line of kitchen housewares including Cuisinart, KitchenAid, Lodge, Le Creuset, OXO, Simplehuman, Wilton, and Zyliss brand products. Targeted at Bay Area home cooks.
• Paint Products and Custom Color Matching Paint department offering Valspar, Clark + Kensington, and Ace Royal brand paints, primers, brushes, rollers, spackle, and painting supplies. Includes a computerized paint color matching service that mixes custom colors from a quarter-sized sample. Ace Rewards members receive $5 off a full can of paint after buying the sample size. Targeted at DIY painters and contractors.
• The Supply Place B2B Business Accounts B2B business account program offering volume pricing, dedicated account management (Stuart Brody and Alberto Bonilla), and a 2% Ace Rewards rebate for office supplies, cleaning products, hardware, and landscaping materials. Targeted at local businesses, schools, offices, property managers, and small contractors in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Hardware Retail Services In-store services including key copying (Duracell partnership with claimed 91% market coverage and special-order capability), watch battery replacement, knife sharpening, Rug Doctor rentals, paint color matching, lock re-keying, propane tank exchange (Blue Rhino), price matching, military and senior discounts, free same-day delivery within 5 miles for orders over $25, and curbside pickup. Targeted at local DIY consumers, homeowners, and tradespeople.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pinnacle Performance Award recognition for top 10% of 5,000+ Ace stores in customer service, assortment, pricing, and convenience (2016-2019)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ace Hardware CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAce Hardware is the franchise cooperative that Marin Ace and five other stores operate under. Ace provides the brand, national advertising, access to 250,000+ products through distribution, co-op marketing funds, and the Ace Rewards loyalty program. The stores are independently owned and operated but benefit from Ace's national presence and purchasing power.
• Blue RhinominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Rhino is the propane tank exchange service partner. Marin Ace has a contract with Blue Rhino to exchange empty propane tanks with full ones for customer convenience.
• Our Water Our World (MCSTOPPP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarin Ace partners with Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program's Our Water Our World initiative to promote integrated pest management and eco-friendly gardening products. This partnership supports the store's neonicotinoid-free plant initiative and pollinator protection events.
• Marin Beekeepers Association / Alameda County Beekeepers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for annual Fall Pollinator Events. Local beekeepers provide observation hives, honey sampling, and educational Q&A sessions at store events to raise awareness about pollinator protection.
• UCSF Benioff Children's HospitalminorOthersMarin Ace participates in roundup donations for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. Customers can round up their change at checkout to support the hospital. Store also hosts fundraising events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Menards: Menards is the third major U.S. home improvement big-box chain. While primarily Midwest-focused and not physically present in the Bay Area, its online catalog and supply chain put indirect competitive pressure on independents like Marin Ace for commodity hardware and major brand purchases.
• The Home Depot: Home Depot is the dominant U.S. home improvement big-box retailer and the most consequential competitor to independent hardware stores in the Bay Area. Marin Ace competes with Home Depot on selection, price, and convenience — and the local positioning as a neighborhood alternative to 'big box' is explicitly framed around this rivalry in customer-facing messaging.
• Lowe's Companies: Lowe's is the second-largest U.S. home improvement retailer and a direct competitor to Home Depot and the independent hardware channel. Marin Ace's price-match guarantee and depth of contractor/professional offerings position it against Lowe's for trade and DIY customers throughout the Bay Area.
• Tractor Supply Company: Tractor Supply operates a rural-lifestyle retail chain with meaningful overlap with Marin Ace's lawn & garden, hardware, tools, and pet departments. While its core customer skews rural/agricultural, its expansion into suburban markets and its B2B/services programs make it an adjacent competitor for the same household-maintenance wallet share.

Direct peers

• Do it Best: Do it Best is the third major U.S. hardware cooperative alongside Ace and True Value, with thousands of independent member-retailers. It competes with Marin Ace for the same franchisee and customer pool, and the member-store format, product breadth, and small-town neighborhood positioning are highly comparable.
• True Value Company: True Value operates a hardware retail cooperative model nearly identical to Ace Hardware's — independent local retailers operating branded stores with cooperative-backed distribution, marketing, and product access. Marin Ace is most directly comparable to a True Value franchisee in terms of store format, customer base, and reliance on a parent cooperative for scale benefits.

Emerging players

• Harbor Freight Tools: Harbor Freight is a fast-growing tools and accessories discounter with an expanding Bay Area footprint. It competes most directly with Marin Ace's tools and hardware departments on price, particularly for prosumer and contractor customers, and represents one of the more aggressive emerging threats to the independent hardware model.

Others

• Ace Hardware Corporation: Ace Hardware is the franchisor/cooperative parent providing branding, distribution, and marketing to Marin Ace and its five sister stores. While not a competitor, it is the operating ecosystem and brand under which the business functions, and defines the cooperative economics that differentiate this format from independent hardware stores.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Standard5n10
• Facebookfacebook.com/timeline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marin-ace-hardware
• Instagraminstagram.com/marinacehardware
• Xx.com/marinacehw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marin Ace Hardware And Standard