Community Archives - Valley Ace Hardware

Experience the Magic of Christmas with Mr. Holt’s Christmas Village in Valley Ace

Chloe McCalla — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 23:05:26 +0000

Every year, as the holiday season approaches, Mr. Holt brings a bit of magic to Westcliffe with his stunning Christmas Village display. For the past five years, Mr. Holt has dedicated countless hours and boundless creativity to create a holiday wonderland that has become a beloved tradition for the community. His attention to detail and commitment to making each year’s village truly unique is nothing short of remarkable.

Mr. Holt’s Christmas Village isn’t just a display; it’s an invitation for you to escape into a world of festive charm. Imagine yourself strolling through the village, with a cup of hot chocolate in hand, you’ll find yourself transported into a peaceful holiday scene filled with family and friends. His meticulous craftsmanship and passion for the project shine through in every building and character, from the twinkling lights to the hand-painted background that frames it all.

What makes this display so special is Mr. Holt’s devotion to the community. He starts preparing the village in July, beginning from scratch each year to ensure that everything in the village is brand new. This dedication allows him to keep the magic alive and offer something fresh to those who visit year after year. It’s clear that Milk does this out of the goodness of his heart, sharing his love for the season with others.

While his Christmas Village at Valley Ace is a local treasure, Mr. Holt also shares his talent with the people of Pueblo. He has another display at the Rosemont Museum in Pueblo, but the Valley Ace location remains the only one in Westcliffe. It’s a must-see for anyone in the area during the holiday season.

One of the standout features of the village is the hidden electric system that brings the display to life. With a simple press of a button, the village lights up, and the magic begins. This clever setup ensures that the electric components are discreetly hidden from view, allowing the village’s beauty to take center stage without any distractions.

For those visiting with children, there’s an added bonus: a fun scavenger hunt! Kids can search for hidden Disney characters throughout the village, and if they find them all, they’ll be rewarded with a small prize at the front register. It’s a wonderful way to keep little ones engaged while they marvel at the incredible details in Mr. Holt’s holiday creation.

This Christmas Village is a true labor of love, and it’s an experience you won’t want to miss. Be sure to stop by Valley Ace this holiday season to see his amazing work, soak in the festive atmosphere, and make some cherished memories with your loved ones.

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Vali Assisted Living Community Project

Chloe McCalla — Tue, 07 May 2024 13:40:18 +0000

Vali Assisted Living, nestled in the stunning town of Westcliffe, CO, is a special place for the community. The Senior Home boasts a prime location right on Main Street, with breathtaking views of the majestic Sangre De Cristo mountains that will leave you in awe.

When our team at Valley Ace Hardware heard about this need, we were up for the task, and decided to take on Vali Assisted Living for our next community project. We reached out to Scotts and Benjamin Moore to see if they would help with supplies and they were delighted to participate in this project too!

Sherry England, the activities director of Vali Assisted Living, recently shared with us one of the facility’s many dreams. They wanted to refurbish the raised garden beds and pavilion to provide a better gardening area for the residents.

The pavilion is not only a place where the residents can enjoy their morning coffee, but it is where they can entertain their friends and family. Additionally, the raised garden beds will be used to grow produce for their kitchen! Gardening is a task that many people, especially as they grow older, find enjoyable and rewarding. For residents to see, smell, feel, taste, and share the reaping of this garden will hopefully bring them great joy and peace.

On April 30th, we grabbed some homemade cookies that Sarah’s daughter made, turned on some tunes, and went on a 4-block road trip. Once we arrived, we started preparing the garden beds by cleaning and prepping the wood with a sander.

After that, we applied Tudor Brown Benjamin Moore Element Guard Exterior Low Luster Paint to the wood. Then, we filled the beds with Miracle-Gro’s Garden Soil and Potting Mix.

The project required the whole team’s effort, from loading the soil, managing deliveries, to covering for others so they could lend a hand. Tasks like selecting the right paint color and measuring beds were also part of the project that go unseen.

We are grateful to our entire Valley Ace crew for helping make this dream a reality. Special thanks to Scotts and Benjamin Moore for the help with funding the project, and to the volunteers who helped before us.

Finally, thank you, Sherry, for making it all possible!

If you have any questions or want to help out with another project at Vali Assisted Living, you can reach out to Julie at (719) 783-4401.

Click to check out their website!

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Dundee Dog Park Community Project

Chloe McCalla — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 17:54:41 +0000

Did you know that by simply recycling your cardboard at the Dundee Dog Park, you are contributing to the maintenance and growth of a beloved community space? The horse trailers located at the back of the park are not just a place to unload your cardboard, but a symbol of the dedication and hard work of volunteers who make the park possible.

By supporting Dundee Dog Park, you are supporting the idea that small actions can lead to big changes in our community. Let’s continue to make this town a great place to live, one recycled cardboard box at a time.

Essentially, what we are getting at, is if you want to support your local dog park, dump your trash there! (You don’t hear that often.)

However, don’t leave your dog’s trash…

The start…

Our team has been hard at work fixing and sprucing up the dog park benches and chairs. We’ve used a durable satin exterior paint from Benjamin Moore that can withstand plenty of use without showing signs of wear. Our paint expert describes it as “painting with marshmallow fluff”.

…and the finish.

We had a lot of fun working on this project. It gave some of our staff an opportunity to give back and change up their typical day-to-day routine. We hope you’ll come and enjoy this fantastic community-supported dog park, and give those benches and chairs a try!

Thank you Dundee Memorial Dog Park for letting us take this on as our 2024 Quarter 1 Community Project.

C onnect to one another

O ften enough and

M ore than you think.

M agic happens

U nder the bright sky and

N ear your friends when

I maginations take over.

T oday we want to tell you

Y ou bring joy to our little town.

Take a Walk Through the Park With Us

Our Valley Ace team sends you all the best, and hope you enjoy some fresh air with your furry friends.

Check out their Facebook page to see more @DundeeDogPark

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Valley Ace Hardware Named the 2022 Coolest Hardware Store for the West!

Chloe McCalla — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 07:16:17 +0000

Ace Hardware is the largest retailer owned hardware cooperative in the world, with more than 5,500 locally owned and operated stores in 70 countries. Each year Ace Hardware selects a couple stores to receive their “Coolest Hardware Store” award. “Ace store owners provide shopping experiences that reflect the demands and needs of the communities they serve,” said John Kittell, Vice President of Retail Operations and New Business, Ace Hardware Corporation. “At Ace, differentiation and localization are crucial. We created these awards to recognize that for our owners every year.”

In March 2022, Ace Hardware Corporation announced it was recognizing Valley Ace Hardware in Westcliffe, CO as one of the company’s two 11th Annual “Coolest Hardware Store” award recipients. Valley Ace Hardware has a history reaching back to 1885 in Westcliffe, Colorado. The store currently boasts a 14,000 square foot retail area and a 15,000 square foot covered lumber yard. They also sell doors, windows, roofing, and siding products.

Co-owner Jeremy Handy says “Everything we do here is a display, so customers can see it; so they can feel it. And if they can enjoy what they are seeing in our store, I hope that they can enjoy it day after day in their home.”

“We’re not just a hardware store. Our vision and mission surrounds the idea of developing the community, developing our staff,” said co-owner Sarah Handy. “The possibilities are endless. And that’s what’s awesome about owning an Ace store. We have the support that we need in order to be successful, but we have the ability to do whatever we want to.”

Valley Ace Hardware is intimately involved in their community, hosting an annual kids’ workshop program, and supporting the local non-profit theater with an annual fund-raising golf tournament. They also work with groups like the Custer County Kids Council to promote healthy, educational, and fun summer activities like “Family Fun Day”, and conduct fund-raising promotions that benefit The Children’s Miracle Network and Colorado Children’s Hospitals.

Check out our announcement video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZdkF0K_fCY

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So, Who Is This Valley Ace Hardware Totem Pole Painter Person?

Chloe McCalla — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 07:15:17 +0000

Who is the mystery Totem Pole Painter? Her name is Molly Parkes, and she visited Westcliffe regularly since the age of 12, frequenting Sky Ranch and Horn Creek. In 2017 she decided to make Westcliffe her home and moved in “for good”.

Sarah Handy, co-owner of Valley Ace Hardware in Westcliffe, Colorado, had been following Molly on Facebook and came up with the idea of commissioning her to paint a Totem Pole, of sorts, on one of the building’s supports. Sarah contacted Molly via Instant Messaging and they worked out a deal to get it done! It turned out wonderfully and added a lot of ‘Cool’ to the store.

Interestingly, Molly only discovered her talent about three years ago, discovering her aptitude quite by accident after the passing of a friend. Despondent, Molly borrowed some supplies from another friend, hoping to paint away the pain of her loss. She painted her Chihuahua – Boston Terrier mix named Chuy, as a joke at first, hoping to capture “that funny ‘worried’ look he gets.” The results impressed her, her friends, and her family. This was the start of a new adventure as she began doing pet portraits for friends and acquaintances.

Now an accomplished artist, Molly says that once she accepted her talent and felt comfortable calling herself an artist that “all of her weirdness made sense”. Her friends and family concur, saying that her artistic talent explains a lot! Whatever that means to Molly, we at Valley Ace Hardware are thrilled to have a bit of her weirdness in our store.

While Molly can paint just about anything, she really enjoys painting images of animals in bright colors. In fact, one could say that’s her specialty. Molly has a small gallery at 401 Main St. in Westcliffe, called Molly P Custom Art. Unfortunately, she’s going to have to move soon so keep up with her at:

https://visitwetmountainvalley.com/directory/listing/molly-parkes-custom-artist

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”7″ gal_title=”Totem Pole Painter Person”]

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Another Fun Year With Children’s Workshops

Chloe McCalla — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 07:00:55 +0000

Valley Ace Hardware extends a special thanks to all of the families that participated in our Children’s Workshops in 2022, and also to our staff of “Teachers”. We had three fun and educational events this summer:

On June 11th, in conjunction with the Family Fun Day hosted by the Custer County Kids Council, we explored Astronomy, focusing specifically on Constellations, Phases of the Moon, and Planets. We had lots of hands-on activities and visual aids that helped us interact and communicate with the kids.

On July 9th, we studied birds; their diets, nest types, and how their physical characteristics affect their life activities. The kids got to dream up their ideal specimen and build it with various foam and felt pieces, and even some real feathers.

August 13th was all about electricity. The kids learned how to power a light with a potato, had fun with static electricity, and lit up LED’s using just pennies and washers.

These events aren’t just fun and educational for the kids, but the Valley Ace Hardware staff has a great time planning and participating in these events. Helping our children grow and develop is a paramount responsibility, and the Valley Ace Hardware staff is honored that the parents in our community trust us to share and interact with their children.

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Blue Beauty for Children’s Miracle Network

Chloe McCalla — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 15:26:49 +0000

Valley Ace Hardware’s Horse Wins Big for Children’s Miracle Network

At Valley Ace Hardware, we believe that a community is strongest when it pulls together for a cause—and this month, that cause was kids. To bring awareness to the incredible work being done at our local Children’s Hospital in Aurora, we joined the Children’s Miracle Network Bucket Challenge in the biggest way we could think of: by building a horse. A giant, bright blue horse—made entirely out of ACE buckets.

What started as a creative idea turned into a full-scale installation that completely took over our BBQ section. Built from 290 Ace CMN blue buckets and over 1,000 pieces of hardware, the towering horse quickly became the centerpiece of our store—and the community’s attention.

The project was led by our very own Sarah Handy, owner of Valley Ace Hardware, and Andi Tunison, our Promotions Coordinator. With passion, teamwork, and a lot of ingenuity, they brought this unique creation to life, complete with a rope mane and a whole lot of heart. In fact, the horse, which may resemble the iconic horse “Mustang” at DIA, is affectionately called Braveheart. “The kids at CMN are going though a tremendous amount and for them, they don’t always understand what is happening or why it is happening.” Andi stated. “They are brave and couragous and we felt like that name was fitting for our CMN horse.”

The entire project took 13 days and countless hours of brainstorming and planning. At over 20 feet high and 300lbs, the weight of the horse was more than expected and lifts had to be brought in to attach safety cables to the ceiling to hold it up. “There’s only so much you can plan for before some creative solutions need to be added from the unexpected turns the art project took.” Sarah mentioned. A fence was built out of blocks and lumber to keep adventurers from climbing and parts from the buckets were used to create a water trough and a pile of bucket handle hay. ”

But that’s not all—out of over 5,000 stores, we’re thrilled to announce that Valley Ace Hardware won 1st place in the CMN Bucket Challenge! As a result, our store received a $7,500 donation for the Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs. This incredible gift will go directly toward supporting life-saving care and programs for local children and families.

“We’re so proud of our team and grateful to everyone who supported this effort. Our blue bucket horse isn’t just a fun installation—it’s a symbol of what we can accomplish when we rally together for a cause that matters.” Sarah said.

We invite everyone to stop by, take a photo with our blue bucket beauty, and consider donating to support this incredible cause, because at Valley Ace Hardware, caring for kids isn’t just a campaign—it’s a commitment. The horse will remain on display until Thanksgiving and will be disassembled and kept so we can reuse the buckets for the next project.

100% of the donations that are collected at Valley Ace Hardware go to Children’s Hospital Colorado, which is a network of over 15 hospitals in Colorado that support local kids from Custer County. Ace is committed to raising funds and awareness to Children’s Hospitals all over the United States.

See Valley Ace Hardware featured on KKTV11!

Click HERE to view.

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