On November 27, 2023, a sign of ACE Hardware appeared in the vacated Kings Food Market grocery store in the Bernardsville Center. Kings had been in the Bernardsville center since 1978 and closed on January 23, 2021, during COVID-19 after Kings around the state declared bankruptcy in August of 2020. The closing of Kings was a hard hit, as many people in the area shopped at Kings’ for its higher quality and specialty food.

Now, the vacated store has an ACE Hardware sign store in its window. ACE Hardware is a chain that operates over 5,000 stores worldwide and in 50 states and describes itself as “Your Local Hardware store,” but how does that compare to the original small local hardware store in Bernardsville?

The owners of the Bernardsville Hardware store, Drew, Renee, and daughter Taylor Hubiak, bought the store back in 2016. A family business for generations, Bernardsville Hardware has been in the area and serving Somerset County for over fifty years. Before taking the name “Bernardsville Hardware,” they were “Clark Hardware Store,” which stood as a staple in town.

Like a normal hardware store, Bernardsville Hardware offers things such as plumbing, electricity, a paint department, lawn and garden, outdoor living, Weber Grills, and Milwaukee Tools, and it also serves as the closest thing the town has as a general store. People can walk in and feel the love of a small community shop with the smell of freshly popped popcorn, candy, toys, and small houseware items.

Now with the announcement of two hardware stores coming in, Drew Hubiak says that he, “welcomes any new business to the community.” The Hubiak family has been local business owners for over twenty years and have brought up their two daughters in small family-style businesses. Taking over the store in 2016, they did a full remodeling job to modernize the store. By offering many items, they focus on long-term customer relationships. He hopes Ace Hardware will “focus on items that [Bernardsville Hardware] is not large enough to carry,” and that people who want to focus on different offerings, will stay consistent in supporting Bernardsville Hardware.

In recent years, Bernardsville has had an increase in corporate chains trying to make their way into the downtown area and main shopping Center. Main Street Bernardsville, a local nonprofit dedicated to highlighting small businesses, has been hosting small business Saturdays. By sharing Instagram posts with the hashtag #ShopBville, and creating Bernardsville Bucks, they aim to support individual businesses over large, mainstream industries. Hopefully, their efforts will continue to battle for small and local businesses— such as Bernardsville Hardware— against their larger counterparts.