By Betsy Brewer Brantner
Contributing Writer

It’s no surprise that Cameron’s ACE Hardware reached a major milestone and is celebrating a 25th anniversary. Cameron’s is a business that still prides themselves on building relationships with customers.

Frank and Angie Lobb, the owners of the store, weren’t really thinking about getting in the hardware business, but then Clyde Cameron approached them about buying the store. It seemed like a good idea to the Lobbs. Their son Jeff was working for a corporation, but he decided to come back to the store as the general manager. When they spoke with a local bank they got a “you should do it” from the bank president, so they did. And they have never looked back.

Frank Lobb had retired from DuPont, and Angie was working for a cruise line. Little did they know how much they would enjoy the hardware business.

“We’ve made so many friends working here,” Angie said. We’ve always been very community-minded so it just seemed natural to have our own business. Most of the employees stayed with us so that was a real plus.”

Angie has long been involved with the Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Jennersville YMCA. She also volunteers to teach swimming to some of the children there.

“We are constantly seeing people in church who tell us how we have helped someone and that’s a good feeling,” she explained.

The good feeling the Lobbs get is what they give out to every customer who comes through the door. Many of the employees know local contractors who buy supplies there, and they make a note of what to keep in stock for them.

It’s not unusual to see people lined up waiting to get in the store, even on a Sunday.

They are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“I think it surprises some people that we often have items they can’t find in the big box stores,” Angie said. “And if we don’t have it, we will find it.”

And they don’t close early or rush customers out the door.

“When I was visiting Idaho, I went to a hardware store at 4:45 and they were showing us out telling they closed in five minutes,” she explained. “We don’t do that here. The customer is king here. We do our best to please them before they walk out of the door.”

Angie is usually at work every day, and on her occasional day off she still stops in to see how everything is going.

“We just hired a new business manager, Jim Burkholder, who came to us from the ACE corporation,” she explained. “He is doing a great job.”

When asked if their store is experiencing any supply shortages because of tariffs she explained that ACE stocked up on items ahead of time so they wouldn’t be hurt by tariffs.

She makes a point of knowing who their customers are and what they need. 

“We still have the regulars who have been coming here for years, but we also have a lot of people in their thirties and forties,” she said. “Many of them are new home buyers. We continue to see a lot of development here. There are a lot of younger people moving in that may not have the time or knowledge to fix things and they come to us for help. We offer plumbing, electrical work and HVAC and we also fix any equipment we sell.”

They also rent out a lot of equipment to contractors and homeowners. They are really a one-stop shop.

Cameron’s has plans to expand their garden center in the future. They have ordered a new greenhouse just so they can have plants year-round. Besides plants, they sell seeds, fertilizer and garden equipment for the new or seasoned gardener.

“It’s really amazing to think we have 25 years under our belts and we owe that all to our great team,” Angie said. “And of course, we thank the community that has supported all of those years. We are here to help our neighbors and make new friends,” she said.

If you have any questions about products or need something repaired call Cameron’s ACE Hardware at 610-932-2416.