Our Story

It all began with Steve.

In 1988, a young man named Steve Selchert made a dream come true by purchasing an existing hardware store located at 1670 JFK Road in Dubuque, Iowa. Steve had walked into the existing hardware store and noticed something wasn’t quite right — the shelves were empty. Rather than ignoring it, he decided to call Ace Hardware Corporate to find out what was going on in his favorite store. He learned the store was for sale, and a few months later Steve and Judy became the new owners of a retail store, in which they knew very little about running. Together, Steve (a former mechanic) and Judy (a former hairstylist) joined forces and worked hard to grow Steve’s Ace into successful stores that have impacted their family and the greater Dubuque community.

Decades after Steve Selchert started Steve’s Ace in 1988, family is still very much part of the business. Shortly after Steve’s retirement in 2014, Steve’s daughter Sara and her husband Jason purchased Steve’s Ace. Steve’s daughter Tricia is also working at the stores, helping customers and growing their community.