Independent hardware stores and cooperative chains like Do it Best, Ace Hardware, and True Value Hardware face extreme competition from major big-box home improvement centers like Home Depot and Lowe’s, which have resulted in the smaller competitors closing their stores when they can no longer compete.
Home Depot dominated the home improvement sector with 28% of the market in 2025, with Lowe’s capturing 17% of the market and Amazon generating 11% of the sector’s sales, according to the Numerator Home Improvement Tracker.
The big three retailers captured about 56% of sales, while many smaller chains and retailers struggled to generate enough sales to stay in business.
One of those smaller retailers has decided to end the battle against the giant home improvement retailers and close down its shop.
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Do it Best closes hardware store
Do it Best hardware cooperative member Central Center Hardware in Chillicothe, Ohio, revealed on its Facebook page that it will permanently close down its store on April 10 after operating for 49 years.
“Navigating the recent retail landscape has presented significant challenges, and we have made the difficult decision to close our doors,” Central Center Hardware’s owner Mark Weisenberger wrote on its Facebook page.
“Since 1977, our hardware store has been a staple in the community, and for the last 25 years, I’ve had the privilege to help you all, first as an employee, and later as the owner,” Weisenberger said.
Lowe’s store is 3 miles away
Competition from big-box home improvement centers, such as Lowe’s and Home Depot, and e-commerce giants like Amazon, has cut into Central Center’s business, as a Lowe’s store is less than 3 miles or 11 minutes away from the Do it Best store in Chillicothe, according to Google.
The closest Home Depot to Central Center Hardware is one about 25 miles away in Washington Court House, Ohio, according to the home improvement center’s website.
Home Depot has battled a challenging housing market and consumers’ reluctance to spend on renovation projects.
Housing market cuts hardware demand
“The housing turnover has remained at historic lows since 2023, which has significantly reduced demand for projects and other purchases associated with buying and selling a home,” Home Depot CFO Richard McPhail said in the company’s quarterly earnings call in February 2026, according to MarketBeat.
The housing slump has affected home improvement and hardware stores, no matter the size, as smaller retailers have been closing stores that no longer make economic sense.
Iconic hardware stores close businesses
Several hardware stores that have operated for over 50 years have permanently closed their businesses this year.
79-year-old hardware store operator Great Lakes Ace Hardware permanently closed its Center Line, Mich., location on March 28.
The Farmington Hills, Mich.-based hardware store owner did not state a specific reason for closing the business.
“We have made the difficult decision to close our store at 7513 E. Ten Mile Road at the end of March,” the Facebook post said. “Thank you to the community for your support over the years.”
Franklin, Tenn., hardware chain store Harpeth True Value Home Center permanently closed on April 1, 2026, after its lumber business collapsed.
Pleasanton, Calif.-based Workbench True Value Hardware, with multiple locations, is closing its 55-year-old store on Santa Rita Road and consolidating its operations at its downtown location on Main Street, which it opened in 2013.
The iconic hardware store location, which opened in 1970, shut its doors for the last time on Feb. 28, Pleasanton Weekly reported.
Workbench True Value Hardware’s owner, Fred Nichandros, said he always planned to close the Santa Rita store and expand operations a mile away at the Main Street location.
Related: 67-year-old furniture chain closes last store, no bankruptcy
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