After decades, Johnson County hardware store closed. Here’s what’s moving in soon

Months after a decades-old Overland Park hardware store announced it was closing, a local thrift store is moving in.

Hillcrest Transitional Housing will open a thrift store inside the old Westlake Ace Hardware store at 12202 College Blvd. at the beginning of next year.

This will be the first time the spot has not housed a hardware store since at least 1989. First it was Goodman’s, then it became Westlake Ace in 1997.

The hardware store closed in August.

“We’re opening up several new locations in Kansas City, so it’s not like Westlake is leaving,” a manager told The Star this summer.

The 19,000-square-foot space will be Hillcrest’s third store in the Kansas City area, said president and chief executive officer Tom Lally. Its other locations are at 7824 Quivira Road in Lenexa and 936 S.E. Third St. in Lee’s Summit.

Founded in 1976, Hillcrest offers transitional housing to singles and families without homes. The organization also operates a two-year housing program for homeless teens and young adults.

“The thrift stores also just provide a way for individuals that need a place to shop for great quality items at a very low cost,” Lally said.

Hillcrest plans to do “minor renovations” to the space before it reopens.

Westlake still owns and runs more than 150 Ace Hardware stores across 12 states, with nearly two dozen stores in the Kansas City area.

In June, Westlake announced that it would open a store at 1185 W. Santa Fe St. in Olathe, replacing True Value Hardware.

Tom Mentzer, a spokesman for Westlake, said the Olathe store is planning a Dec. 1 soft opening.