Mike Sutherland recalls growing up in East Peoria in the 60s when there were no less than 17 hardware stores in the city. Today there is only one. And he owns it.

Sutherland Ace Hardware, 2244 E. Washington, is East Peoria’s local source for everything from “the largest bolt selection this side of I-80,” to plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn equipment rentals, tools, outdoor living gear, a selection of more than 125 meat rubs, and everything in between.

The proprietor said his 7,000 sq. ft. store is not normally a place where people come to shop. “Normally, when someone walks in the front door, they are here for a reason,” Sutherland said. “Something is broke, something needs painted, something needs to be replaced. We’re here to help them.”

“If you walk in my store and walk out without what you’re looking for you better have a full tank of gas and a lot of luck because if I don’t have it, you’re not going to find it anywhere else.”

Born and raised in East Peoria, Sutherland said he caught the entrepreneurial bug early, building the first of many new homes in the area when he was still a junior at East Peoria Community High School. He went on to operate an excavating company before establishing the Ace Hardware store in 1995. He is still a “small time” sewer and water contractor, doing most of his work in East Peoria.

How Sutherland got into hardware is a tale worth telling. Back in the early 90s he had a small rental business that sold some hardware items. At some point, the demand for a full line of hardware became clear, and Sutherland started moving toward affiliating with another national brand. Just as he was about to close a deal, the Ace Hardware down the street in Fondulac Plaza closed. He worked with the family of the former owner to acquire the Ace affiliation, along with store fixtures and stock to get started.

Being the only hardware store in town since then gives Sutherland the luxury of being able to compare his operation to “big box” retailers who now compete for his customers’ business. He said his competitors typically stock items that will move off the shelf quickly. “We not only sell that, we have pieces and parts for things that are decades old,” he said. “The box stores try to sell throwaway things, and we try not to.”

Items that sell locally may not do so well somewhere like Wisconsin or some other region, Sutherland said. Every market generates demand for certain items, and Sutherland does his best to offer what East Peoria customers want. 

Sutherland is fiercely committed to selling American-made products whenever possible. “I virtually refuse to buy anything from China if I can find it elsewhere,” he said. Same goes for goods from anywhere outside U.S. borders. It is both a business philosophy and a political conviction. He said the parent company does not try to dictate what he sells or where he sources it, as long as 75% of the merchandise offered is from Ace. 

“We’re hardcore” on hardware, he said. “When I started this business I said no lampshades, no film development, no Beanie Babies.” To this day, you won’t find any of those items on the shelves at Sutherland Ace Hardware. Can’t find what you need? “If I don’t have it, I can order it by 5 p.m. today and have it in store in two days.”

The store has three full-time employees in addition to the owner, but the part-time staff has dwindled due to rising labor costs. Still, Sutherland continues to offer the best customer service experience and is optimistic for his hardware business. He said he wouldn’t want to try and meet the challenges of small business ownership anywhere but East Peoria.

“If you cannot make a business run in the City of East Peoria, then you should not be in business,” Sutherland said. “East Peoria is so easy to work with compared to other communities.” 

Sutherland Ace Hardware is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Contact the store at 309-694-3465 or [email protected].