Local dignitaries and officials shovel dirt to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
SOUTH HADLEY — The South Hadley Plaza on June 19 was the site for a groundbreaking ceremony for a new, expanded Rocky’s Ace Hardware store.
The new 13,000-square-foot building in the Woodlawn Shopping Plaza is expected to be opened in spring 2025 according to President and CEO Rocco Falcone. The new building will be part of a mixed-use redevelopment of the plaza that will include a phase 2 project of adding 60-unit Way Finders’ mixed-income residential project.
“Eight years ago this was an abandoned supermarket and we had different options to develop the property,” Falcone said.
Falcone is the third generation to run the 50-store hardware chain founded by his grandfather in 1926 in Springfield.
Co-owning the plaza with Falcone are the Picknelly and Yee families. Peter Picknelly was unable to attend the groundbreaking but Edison Yee were there to celebrate the groundbreaking. Other local dignitaries were also present.
Yee mentioned, as someone who grew up in South Hadley, the plaza has always been a spot for people to gather with friends for food at the old Friendly’s before heading out for a night of hanging out. He added it was great to see the continued efforts on the plaza that have helped reclaim the area for different community needs.
“Now with this revitalization of this project, the beginnings of the Rocky’s project today, I think just signifies a new era for South Hadley to hopefully bring that community together back in this area,” Yee said.
The new store will feature an expanded sales floor and an outdoor center for displaying and selling other goods, such as plants. He added the pain department will see an expansion. The current Ace Hardware located in the plaza will be leased out.
Falcone added the new store will also provide an opportunity for expansion with brands and departments within the store. He explained brands like DeWalt, Craftsman and Carhartt will be expanded through the sales floor.
Falcone said that with power equipment transitioning from gas to rechargeable batteries, the new Rocky’s power equipment department will be a force and ready to handle it on a higher level.
“I think the power equipment is going to be a knock your socks off department with outdoor power equipment and indoor power equipment,” Falcone said. “We’re pretty excited to become more ingrained into the community, become a property owner in the community and not just a tenant.”
Falcone reiterated spring 2025 the latest would be the opening of the new location.
“The first sunny day of 2025 we’re going to be open for all our consumers and customers to help satisfy their home maintenance and repair needs as well as the garden side,” Falcone said.
