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Rocky’s Ace Hardware to Expand South Hadley Store

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Rocky’s broke ground on June 19
Construction

Room to Grow

Rocky’s broke ground on June 19

Rocky’s broke ground on June 19 for the new, expanded South Hadley store.

 

Rocky’s Ace Hardware, one of the country’s largest family-owned Ace Hardware dealers, held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 19 for a new, expanded store in the South Hadley Plaza at 501 Newton St., which is co-owned locally by the Falcone, Picknelly, and Yee families. The anticipated opening of the new store is March 2025, replacing the existing store in the same plaza.

“This is going to be a 13,000-square-foot new building, all new construction,” Rocky’s Ace Hardware President and CEO Rocco Falcone II said. “We will be relocating from a 10,000-square-foot store, expanding the sales floor and adding a 2,000-square-foot garden center for live plants, Christmas trees, and things of that nature.”

Plans for the new Rocky’s store also include expanded paint and grilling centers, as well as a workwear department featuring the Carhartt brand.

“We’ll carry all the quality name brands we’re known for, such as Benjamin Moore paint; Weber, Traeger, and Big Green Egg in grilling; and Milwaukee, Dewalt, Stihl, Ego, and Craftsman in power tools, to name a few,” Falcone said. “We’ve got a big partnership with Scotts in lawn and garden, and the indoor and outdoor power-equipment department is going to be a knock-your-socks-off experience.”

Falcone noted that, when the Falcone, Picknelly, and Yee families purchased the plaza in 2016, it contained an empty former grocery store and wasn’t being used to its potential. He said the second phase of the project, slated to begin in March 2025 in conjunction with Way Finders, is to construct a six-unit apartment building.

“We’re pretty excited to become more ingrained into the South Hadley community as a property owner and not just a tenant.”

Edison Yee, a partner in the project, said, “I grew up in the town of South Hadley, and in the late ’70s and early ’80s, this used to be our hangout, a gathering spot for meeting up for the night. There used to be a Friendly’s and a Waldbaum’s grocery store. Waldbaum’s closed in 2013, and it’s been relatively dormant since then. I think this revitalization signifies a new era for South Hadley, to hopefully bring the community together and back to this area.”

Falcone said he remembers signing the lease on the South Hadley store back in the ’80s. “It was our seventh store location, and now we have 50. We’re pretty excited to become more ingrained into the South Hadley community as a property owner and not just a tenant.”

The current Rocky’s store will remain open with minimal disruptions during construction and will be available for lease after the store moves to its new home. Construction of the new store is being led by Caolo & Bieniek Architects and Inglewood General Contractors, in conjunction with Falcone Development.

New Big Y Store Remodels Focus on Sustainability

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Michael D’Amour says he can envision 100 or more supermarkets
Building Trades

Food for Thought

Big Y has been making significant strides in enhancing its stores across the region. Since 2022, the company has celebrated the grand reopening of 26 remodeled stores, which align with the company’s broader strategy to focus on sustainability and modernize retail spaces to create a more enjoyable shopping experience for both customers and associates.

The new store design incorporates modern elements to inspire guests and reflect each store’s local community. The remodeled stores have been strategically laid out to benefit both shoppers and associates, streamlining operations and creating a more pleasant environment, said Maggie D’Amour, senior manager of Environmental Social Governance.

“Whenever we remodel or build new stores, we always try to upgrade to energy-efficient equipment, motors, refrigeration systems, etc.,” she explained. “Big Y’s commitment to sustainability and community-focused design is evident in these remodels. As we continue to invest in our stores, we aim to meet customers wherever they are, providing a modern, highly connected shopping experience.”

These energy-efficiency-focused upgrades across Connecticut and Massachusetts have included high-efficiency rooftop and refrigeration systems, interior and exterior LED lighting (95% of stores), light-dimming systems, Energy Star-certified equipment, building energy-management systems, night curtains or glass-door retrofits on open refrigerated cases, high-efficiency motors, capture and utilization of waste heat, cycling anti-sweat heaters, waterless urinals, low-flow water controls on sinks, and energy-efficient hand dryers.

“Big Y’s commitment to sustainability and community-focused design is evident in these remodels. As we continue to invest in our stores, we aim to meet customers wherever they are, providing a modern, highly connected shopping experience.”

As a result, the stores are now saving 9.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by removing 840 gasoline-powered vehicles from area roads for a year.

In addition to the remodeled stores, Big Y also installed a 1.4-megawatt solar array on the rooftop of its Fresh and Local Distribution Center in Springfield. The installation is comprised of 3,100 solar panels, and the renewable energy generated by the system will offset about 70% of the distribution center’s electric requirements.

Expanded in 2021, Big Y’s Fresh and Local Distribution Center provides local farmers and food producers with an efficient, one-stop location that saves them time and money as they don’t need to deliver to individual stores. In addition to supporting communities, farms, and other small businesses, it saves travel time, thus cutting down on greenhouse-gas emissions. It also serves as a hub for all fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the year.

Over the past three years, there has been a company-wide effort to be earth-friendly, with initiatives demonstrating a commitment to expanding solar-energy adoption and addressing environmental challenges. Overall, these changes have reduced the company’s total energy consumption by more than 17,800,000 kilowatt-hours.

The new solar panels are in addition to more than four megawatts of ground-mounted and rooftop arrays installed at several store locations. The company also participates in more than 10 community solar-array projects, creating solar production equivalent to annual C02 emissions from 5,142,780 gallons of gasoline consumed, 8,893 homes’ electricity use for one year, or 105,814 barrels of oil consumed.

Food waste is another major initiative for the grocery chain. Throughout the year, Big Y makes daily donations of meat, fresh produce, and bakery products, along with grocery, frozen food, and dairy items, to four food banks within its two-state marketing area. These donations not only help keep food waste out of landfills, it also helps maximize access to nutritious food and other resources that support food security for those at risk of hunger.