Willow Glen Resident

News

Ace hardware will open at former site of Silverleaf

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

The former SilverLeaf Antiques building will no longer stand empty at the intersection of Lincoln and Curtner avenues.

The Willow Glen Ace Hardware store will soon join the growing number of new businesses moving in to the community.

"They're pretty excited about the location," said property owner Douglas Scolari's son Brett. "They will be using the entire building and are currently working on the interior and exterior. It's a good spot to be, and it sounds like they will be there for a while."

Scolari had originally applied for a permit to demolish the existing building and rebuild a new one with outdoor seating last summer but, after being approached by several interested businesses, decided to retract the application.

A lease agreement was signed at the beginning of December, sealing the future of the site.

Eric Hassett, co-owner of the new store, said that coming back to San Jose was a priority for the family since 2004. He, along with his father, Larry, and younger brother, Richard, will work at the location once it's opened.

His grandfather, Robert "Bob" Hassett, owned Hassett Brothers Hardware on Hamilton and Meridian in 1957. Three years later, a major renovation of the site forced the Hassetts to relocate to Redwood City.

"We have been looking at four other markets to move into, including San Jose, but things did not pan out," Eric Hassett said.

Three years later, Hassett's luck changed when he learned last summer that a building was going to be available.

"We came down and looked at it," he said. "It worked well for the size and type of store we want to run."

The Willow Glen location is roughly 8,900 square feet, almost identical to the Hassetts' flagship store in Palo Alto.

The Willow Glen location will include departments for electrical hardware, lawn and garden, seasonal goods such as patio sets, useable house wares, and tool and automotive, Hassett said.