Ace Hardware owners purchase old Rite Aid location for expansion

Auburn's Ace Hardware store will be moving into a much larger space later this year, as the business' owners recently purchased the old Rite Aid location on Highway 49. Darek and Carrie Borba officially took ownership of 420 Grass Valley Highway, a former Rite Aid Pharmacy, last week. "We are so excited to move our business to this main street location," Darek said. "You will be getting the same store but in a larger format. It will be a new fresh environment we are excited about." The couple's current Nevada Street location, where they rent, is 12,500 square feet, and the new location offers expansion with 19,500 square feet of space. Darek said the new location will allow the business to expand all its departments and add an outdoor patio and barbeque space. The former pharmacy space will become a workshop area. "We have basically grown out of our current location," Darek said. "We are using this as an opportunity to work with additional brands we haven't had the opportunity to work with before." Darek became involved in the Nevada Street hardware store in 1999 in the receiving department. He worked his way up and by 2005 he and his wife became partners in what was then True Value Hardware. In 2018, the store turned into Ace Hardware and continues to serve the people of Auburn as it has for more than 30 years. Darek and Carrie have been looking for locations to move and expand their business for several years. Once they heard about Rite Aid's bankruptcy, they jumped at the opportunity. "This is really the only location in Auburn that could be big enough for our store and we didn't want to leave this side of town," Darek said. Carrie said customers can expect the same personalized service at the new store with a better overall experience – from a 10-space parking lot to a 70-space parking lot. "We will have the same staff coming over," she said. "We will still have the same personalized service and small-town community feel in a larger space." Carrie and Darek said they were pleased to get the space on the main road through town. Carrie said they used to live near the cemetary and would come to the same location for Thrifty Ice Cream 20 years ago. "If you would have told me then I would one day own this spot, I would have thought you were crazy," she said. The couple said they have received so much support from the community in just the first week since owning the space. "We could not do this without the support of our local customers and community," Carrie said. "This will be great for Auburn and we couldn't be more happy or excited for this." Darek and Carrie said they have improvements for the space planned, including enhanced lighting, modern shelving and fixtures and installing polished concrete floors. "My goal is I want people to walk in and not see the old Rite Aid," Darek said. "We want them to see it's the brand new Auburn Ace Hardware that is brighter, larger and easier to shop." Darek and Carrie said it is their intention to open by the final quarter of 2024.