Merrill Ace Hardware moves to much larger location on Pine Ridge Avenue

Merrill Ace Hardware has taken a leap forward into a much larger location, and the owners are excited about the possibilities the move affords. Owners Bill and Carrie Babiash moved their store from its historic, tight-quartered downtown storefront on E. First Street to a sprawling facility at S. Pine Ridge Avenue in the building that formerly housed Wisconsin Building Supply and before that Trantow’s.
The move nearly doubles the store’s indoor retail space and enables them to expand their offerings to better serve the community. The outdoor space also presents some exciting options for expansion and possible collaboration with other local businesses.

Expanding to meet community needs and unlock bulk pricing
The move from their previous location of nearly 8,000 square feet to the just-under 15,000-square-foot former Trantow’s building on S. Pine Ridge Avenue represents a major evolution. While the downtown store had history and charm, its limited footprint held the business back. Now Bill and Carrie have leased the full property at their new location from local owner Kent Johnson to unlock new possibilities.
“Quite honestly, we loved the downtown location,” Bill said. “It was a very, very difficult decision, but ultimately it came down to two things. Number one, I knew I could better serve the community here by having lumber and other building materials. There were too many times at the old location where, due to space, there were just things I couldn’t do, even if I wanted to do them.”

The second factor was the sheer logistics of retail supply and demand.
“You can only buy a certain way being in such tight quarters,” Bill said. “A lot of times, just economics of things, if you can only buy one pallet at a time, you’re not getting the price that you could get if you bought 10 pallets at a time.”
This location offers more warehousing capabilities to enable Ace to purchase products in larger quantities at better rates.

Dedicated aisles and premium brands take center stage
With nearly double the floor space, every department has transitioned to what Bill refers to as a “super planogram.” Instead of cramming popular tool lines together, major brands now have their own dedicated aisles.

“Milwaukee went from 12 feet to 48 feet,” Bill said, noting that they now carry the complete line of tools with a much wider, deeper variety of options. “We have Milwaukee, DeWalt, and Craftsman as our major brands from a tools perspective.”
The expansion has also allowed Bill and Carrie to build a massive grilling and outdoor living department.
“Our grilling section, by the way, is second to none,” Bill said. “There is no one remotely close to here that’s going to even come close to what we have for grilling right now. We’ve got Traeger, we’ve got Weber, and we’ve got RecTec, which is a new huge brand in the barbecue community that we brought in and is selling like crazy.”
In addition to those classic brands, the store is introducing Gozney and Ooni outdoor pizza ovens, along with Breeo and Solo Stove smokeless fire pits. For local outdoor enthusiasts, they have also added premium polarized sunglasses from brands like Oakley, Native, and Costa.
“I wanted all brand new fixtures, I wanted everything to be brand new,” Bill said. “I wanted the best name brands. People sometimes say, ‘Oh, we can’t have anything nice in Merrill.’ That kind of got under my skin.” Bill said he wanted to show the Merrill community that this area definitely can have nice things — and nice retail options.

Stepping into the lumber trade with expert guidance
One of the biggest additions to the store’s inventory is a select offering of building materials, including 2x4s, OSB, and drywall. Key convenience items are kept inside the warehouse, while longer lumber lengths are stocked in the outdoor umbrella shed.
Recognizing that lumber was a new frontier for them, Bill and Carrie made a key hire to lead the department. They brought on Cindy, a full-time lumber industry veteran who previously worked at Trantow’s.
“Cindy is a full-timer, and she’s been in building supplies her whole career,” Bill said. “Since I don’t have that background, she’s the person I count on to help get that rolling. She knows a ton, and she knows what the market is going to bear here.”
While starting with a conservative, DIY-focused assortment, Bill noted they are highly responsive to local requests and are already planning to add plywood and shingles to their stock.

A second-floor destination with a unique community synergy
The move has also sparked a creative partnership on the building’s second floor. Carrie reached out to Missy, one of the owners of the popular home decor boutique The Crooked Queen, and invited the business to lease a portion of the upstairs offices and showroom space.
“My wife and her mutual friend would go to The Crooked Queen events, and she liked it quite a bit,” Bill said. “When we got in here and had all these offices upstairs, we thought, ‘What should we do with it?’” That inspired Carrie to contact Missy.
By sharing the building, the two businesses hope to create a unique, one-stop shopping experience that brings the community together.
“I love the idea of making this into more than just a hardware store,” Bill said. “If someone comes in and has an interest in decor, there’s an option for them. Maybe they want to come with their spouse now — he looks at Milwaukee tools, and she goes right upstairs. It’s great to have something different for people.”

In addition to hosting the boutique, the building has three more second-floor office spaces available for rent, which Bill envisions leasing to other local service providers or independent businesses to build on this high-traffic destination.

Keeping the local, helpful hardware store spirit alive
Transitioning to a larger facility with towering ceilings can sometimes make a local shop feel less close-knit or more corporate, but Bill and Carrie are focused on maintaining the neighborly charm that defines Merrill Ace.
Bill’s retail background is deeply rooted in operations — having spent five years at Target, 15 years in regional leadership at Shopko, and two years with Ace Corporate. Yet, he appreciates that local success depends entirely on relationships.
“Having been in the corporate world my whole time, when I first bought the store, that was my mentality,” Bill reflected. “But there’s more of a laid-back, family-type atmosphere here, and that’s important. Merrill Ace is built on that feeling of community, friendliness, and the helpful side. A lot of times, people shop at a place because they like you. Those relationships in a small town are really important.”

That philosophy is supported by a stable, close-knit team of 23 employees, which includes the couple’s two adult sons. Thanks to a highly committed staff of high schoolers and retirees, employee turnover remains exceptionally low.
“We took over a great team with a really good foundation of people from the previous owners,” Bill said. “Our high schoolers are fantastic, and we don’t have a lot of turnover. Most of our gradual turnover has been entirely retirement-based.”

Four days of grand opening celebrations are scheduled for August
To celebrate their milestone move, Bill and Carrie have scheduled a big four-day Grand Opening Celebration from Aug. 27 through Aug. 30, 2026. The celebration will feature major specials, drawings, and big giveaways.
Looking ahead, Bill is eager to utilize the new location’s expansive parking lot and outbuildings for community events. He is exploring bringing in food trucks for lunch hours and hosting or creating some other fun holiday events.

“We are here for the community, and we truly believe that,” Bill said. “If we don’t have something, ask. We have the freedom to get it for you. We are just excited, and we don’t know where this is going to go, but we are so thankful for the support.”
Merrill Ace Hardware is now fully open at S. Pine Ridge Avenue. The store’s newly expanded hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
And for long-time customers wondering about a certain beloved tradition: yes, the famous popcorn machine is officially back up and running in the new location.