Bever's Ace Hardware to buy shuttered Walmart Express in Gentry

File Photo of the Gentry Walmart Express when it opened for business.
File Photo of the Gentry Walmart Express when it opened for business.

— The J.R. Bever Company, operating as Bever's Ace Hardware, announced it has entered into an agreement with Harps Food Stores to purchase its property at 905 S. Gentry Boulevard, formerly home to a Walmart Express store. The purchase and subsequent relocation of Bever's Ace Hardware will enable Bever's Ace Hardware to expand its extensive selection and provide a more pleasant, less confusing environment for shoppers.

The current hardware store located on Main Street occupies four Main Street buildings, with doorways opened between the buildings.

"The old Walmart Express building has been vacant for some time and we feel this is a major win for our community, our customers and our team," Randy Bever said in a release on Friday. "It is with mixed emotions that we will be leaving Main Street after 115 years, but we are staying in the community to continue serving our customers with the selection and service they have come to expect, just in a much larger facility with more ample parking. We prefer not to think of it as leaving a void on Main Street but rather an opportunity for up to four new businesses to locate there."

Harps purchased the Gentry Walmart Express building in 2016 as a part of a package deal of nine stores. Since Harps had already purchased and was remodeling a larger store building in Gentry, the Gentry Walmart Express building was put up for sale. And the building's size and location are ideal for a hardware store such as Bever's Ace Hardware.

"In a time when everyone is predicting doom, gloom and the death of retail, we are expanding," Bever states. "We believe there is still a place for the independent merchant who provides a well-stocked store with fair pricing and personal service. The Internet is not very helpful when needing parts to fix a leaky toilet or to pick paint colors from many subtle shades to find the one meant for you."

More information concerning timelines and job opportunities will be available after the real estate transaction closes and Ace Hardware Corporation finalizes its plans and schedules.

"We look forward to continuing our history of serving the area in 2018 and beyond," Bever states.

About Bever's Ace Hardware

The J.R. Bever Company was founded in Gentry in 1902 and has operated a hardware store in Gentry since 1954, affiliating with Ace Hardware Corporation in 1976. It is currently owned and operated by J.R. "Randy" and Sharon Bever and their family. Randy took over operations in 1984 before purchasing the store from his father, J.R. "Bob" Bever, in 1985. Bever's Ace draws regular customers from three states due to its large selection.