Sety’s Ace Hardware
Washington
Chewelah, WA
Sety’s Ace Hardware is a long-standing, family-owned business with roots dating back to the early 1900s, when the Sety family first sold goods from a traveling cart before establishing a permanent store. Now spanning four generations of ownership, the business has grown steadily while remaining grounded in its original values. It joined the Ace Hardware cooperative in 1969, making it one of the longest-standing Ace-affiliated stores in the region.
Throughout its history, the store has evolved to meet changing retail demands while maintaining a strong commitment to personalized, community-focused service. Each generation has played a role in modernizing operations and merchandising, while preserving the hands-on, customer-first approach that built the business.
As part of expanding that legacy, ownership acquired a second location in the Spokane area in 2018, bringing the same family-operated approach to a broader customer base. This additional store, originally opened under different ownership, has since been integrated into the company’s overall vision—blending localized assortment, strong service, and community connection.
Together, both locations reflect the continued evolution of a multi-generational retail business that has expanded beyond its original footprint while maintaining its reputation for service, adaptability, and strong ties to the communities it serves.
Wandermere, WA
Custom Project Execution – Sety’s Ace Hardware
Sety’s Ace Hardware engaged Arrowhead Retail Innovations for a highly specialized project that falls outside of standard service packages. This work aligns most closely with a custom project-based engagement, supported by expanded labor and extended on-site execution.
This type of engagement is designed to provide flexible, hands-on support during complex or time-sensitive situations, requiring a tailored approach beyond typical resets or refreshes. It combines strategic oversight, team coordination, and full-scale execution to meet unique operational needs.
Additional support included inventory organization and system alignment to ensure long-term functionality and ease of use for store staff following project completion.
While this engagement demonstrates the ability to take on large-scale, high-demand projects, it represents an exception rather than a standard offering and would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The following section outlines the full scope and execution of this project in detail.
Large-Scale Inventory Transfer & Store Reopening – Chewelah
In addition to the physical transfer, all item locations were updated within the system to ensure products could be easily located and maintained moving forward—supporting both staff efficiency and ongoing inventory accuracy.
Due to the time-sensitive nature of the project and the pace of execution, progress photos were not captured during the transfer. Focus remained on meeting the deadline and ensuring a successful transition.
Following the initial push, additional time was dedicated to completing the merchandising and stocking of the sales floor, requiring several more days of continued effort to fully set the store.
This project served as a significant learning experience, highlighting the importance of expanded timelines, additional staffing, and phased execution for large-scale transitions. With the benefit of hindsight, a different approach would be taken to further improve efficiency and overall results.
While this project demonstrates the ability to take on large-scale, time-sensitive work, it represents an exception rather than a standard scope of service and would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
This project reflects the ability to step outside of typical scope to support a client during a critical moment, while also reinforcing the value of thoughtful planning in complex, high-volume projects.
Scope of Work
This project focused on supporting Sety’s Ace Hardware through a large-scale inventory transfer and store reopening following a devastating fire that displaced their operations.
After operating out of a temporary location for two years, the store relocated back across the street into their newly built store. Inventory had been stored across 13 shipping containers in their existing garden center, effectively serving as aisles for the temporary setup. The objective was to transition all product from these containers into the new store in an accelerated timeframe—beginning after close on Saturday and preparing for a Monday morning reopening.
To support the scale and urgency of the project, a team of eight was assembled to assist with the transfer. Execution required overnight work and extended hours to move, sort, and begin stocking product into the new space. While the original goal of fully stocking the store by reopening was ambitious, the team successfully ensured that all inventory was relocated inside the building within the deadline.
The images shown here reflect the temporary store setup, which was constructed using shipping containers.