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Our
Story
Olson’s Ace Hardware was founded by John Killinger on May 8, 1948. Killinger’s original store was located at the Northeast corner of Grand Avenue and Gustave Street in Franklin Park, IL. The store was one of the first retail stores on Grand Avenue. In 1960, the small, 3600 sq. ft. store was increased to 12,000 sq. ft. It included additional storage facilities in the basement. In 1970, John Killinger sold the business to his daughter and son-in-law, Donald and Joan Olson (former Joan Killinger). The Olson’s relocated to the current location at 10135 W Grand Avenue in March of 1976. The store consisted of 32,000 sq. ft., and was one of largest Ace Hardware stores in the nation at that time.
Dan Olson, the son of Don and Joan, joined the family business after graduating college and has since become the President of the company. Dan’s goal is to grow the business for generations to come with Olson’s Ace Hardware’s core values; to amaze every customer, be noticeably different, work with passion to achieve excellence, and be dedicated to family and community. In January of 2017, Olson’s Ace purchased the Ace Hardware store in Park Ridge, IL. In January of 2021, Olson's Ace purchased Dressel's "Do It Best" and converted it to Olson's Ace Hardware.
Both these stores are now thriving under new ownership and we look forward to continued growth in the future. We are looking forward to many more years of serving every customer with an outstanding experience.
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