A little over a week ago, 12-year-old Felton resident Luke Smith got wind that the old Rite Aid building in his hometown would be reopening within days.
And on March 2, at about 7:20am, he cruised over there with his 10-year-old sister Elsie, as Felton Ace Hardware, the latest hardware store from the family behind the Scarborough Lumber chain, opened its doors for the first time.
“I got a water bottle,” said Luke, upon returning later in the day, describing the first item ever sold by the store.
“We all stood right here, and we all stepped in at once,” Elsie chimed in, referring to the excitement she shared with her brother and their friends Kora and Thomas. “I got, like, colored pens.” (Luke, on his Max Fox e-bike, did a quick check of his smart watch to make sure he had the spelling of Thomas’s name right.)
While Felton has been undergoing a renaissance—with people moving back after the fires, always strong lineups at Felton Music Hall (tonight, electronic music artist Soohan will headline), new hair care businesses starting up, the continued hype around the Humble Sea Tavern building, and the exquisite offerings from rustic but upscale boutiques like The Bizarre Bazaar, Ritual, Mountainside and Wild Iris—there’s been a big gaping hole just past the consistently solid Empire Grille.
As the Press Banner put it in December, this “left more than an empty building behind…it marked the loss of a familiar gathering place.”
And on Monday evening, the rebirth had already begun, as Luke and Elsie’s dad Mitch arrived on the scene—with their dogs Charlie and Duke in tow.
“I thought it was pretty cool that I got to be the first one,” Luke said.
Elsie had heard there would soon be Thrifty Ice Cream available at the new Ace Hardware—just like there was when it was Rite Aid. (The management is still training the staff on the ice-cold treats, but promises the parlor aspect will be ready for the grand opening on April 18.)
Elsie said she was excited about all the Stanley’s oversized, colorful drinking receptacles that would be on offer.
Morgan Scarborough, the 46-year-old owner of Felton Ace Hardware, handed some swag to the Smith kids—jacket and hat for Luke; hat and decent-sized purple Stanley tumbler for Elsie. (This reporter randomly dropped by. We weren’t contacted for a photo-op ahead of time.)
“I’m just stoked to see the kids are happy,” said dad Mitch. “It’s huge.”
Truth is, as a welder for UC Santa Cruz, he’s probably going to be getting the most use out of the new store.
“I go to an Ace probably every weekend,” he said, reflecting on the convenience of the new location just down the street from their house. “It’s a great building for it.”
This is the 12th location the Scarborough family has opened.
“I think it’s important to be convenient and relevant in your community,” Scarborough said. “Felton has always been the missing link, if you will, in our chain of hardware stores.”
Shoppers have already been commenting online about the large selection of products that are available.
“We’ve got a lot more stuff coming too,” the owner added. “We want to broaden our inventory to make sure we have everything everyone needs to repair their home and enjoy the outdoors.”
They’ve already added 15 jobs in Felton and are looking at hiring about five more.
It’s also allowed for some career progression amongst their staff, as well. Ben Bobisuthi, 44, who started in sales at the Ben Lomond store, was picked to manage the Felton expansion.
“I’ve lived in or around Felton for my entire life, so I’m happy to be a part of it,” said Bobisuthi, adding he wants to focus on creating a positive workplace environment for his employees. “You can pay somebody to show up, but you’ve gotta earn them wanting to be here.”
Tyler Ritchie, 41, the outdoor power manager for the entire chain, said for local residents, going to the hardware store is about more than just a weekend outing.
“With the fire that we experienced a few years ago, that’s got people more aware of property maintenance,” said Ritchie, adding there’s a large customer base in the region of family members who have previously worked for the company.
That’s to be expected. After all, the Scarborough family has been in business here in the San Lorenzo Valley, and over in Scotts Valley, since 1952.
“There’s no reason for us to be in business unless we’re partnering with our community,” said Scarborough, noting they’re going to sponsor a car show at the beginning of April. “I think the biggest thing that everyone’s really excited about is the ice cream.”
It wasn’t too difficult of a negotiation to get the brand famously associated with Rite Aid pharmacies to partner with the locally-owned hardware store.
“I tracked down Thrifty Ice Cream,” Scarborough recounted. “They’re in the business of selling ice cream, and I was in the business of buying some ice cream to sell.”
The bigger picture, he explained, is that 80% of their stock will be geared toward basic items like paint, hardware and garden supplies.
“That other 20%, we really focus on local,” he said. “And we really lean on local input to build that part of our store, because we want to fit the community of Felton.”
Felton Ace Hardware, located at 6291 Highway 9, is open 8am-7pm Monday-Saturday and 9am-5pm on Sunday; call 831-335-4838 for more information.
