A new Ace Hardware is operating the former Rite-Aid location in Walnutport.

Opening today, the 12,000-square-foot store is located at 200 South Best Ave. in the Walnut Plaza.

The store provides hardware, home improvement and garden products.

Tim Bracey, owner, explained that he chose to open his second Ace Hardware in the region due to its location.

Bracey cited the fact there’s a Giant Food store, liquor store, and AutoZone as chief among the diverse tenants who also occupy the Walnut Plaza.

“There’s a good tenant mix in the Plaza,” Bracey said. “There’s also fast food (places located nearby).”

Bracey said the site will serve as a destination for customers to fix, maintain and repair their homes.

He added that it carries Stihl, Milwaukee power tools, and DeWalt products, along with Benjamin Moore Paint.

Bracey, who has owned the nearly 18,000-square-foot Ace Hardware in Brodheadsville since 2013, said he has no doubts the new Ace Hardware in Walnutport will also be a huge success.

“The customer base is going to dictate where we go,” he said. “We’ll be adding products, listen to customer demands, that’s how you’re going to grow.”

Bracey said he’s received plenty of cooperation from the borough along the way.

“The borough has been very supportive,” he said. “They believe it will do very well, and so do I.”

Further, Bracey added, “This isn’t going to be a cookie-cutter corporate store.

“The inventory of the store will evolve and change to meet customer demands,” he said. “We will stock and carry whatever the customers are looking for, and adjust inventory accordingly.”

Bracey noted that the Ace Hardware in Walnutport plan to add a propane filling station by the end of March or early April.

The Ace Hardware in Walnutport currently has 15 employees, and is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, visit acehardware.com.