Bill's Ace

Yeah, I know this ain't New York City. But even here in the Middle of the World we have characters who defy the age and modern places and remind us that order and reason aren't everything.


Now that I live in the area of town called Northside, a place completely quilted together with so many different types of human, persons of every stripe... high and low on the economic totem pole...mostly very liberal and socially invested but also the Taco Bell crowd and the lovers of the highbrow.....now that I live here again, I frequent the Ace Hardware in the business district.


A couple miles up the road is a fairly new Ace Hardware, all gleaming floors and clean, neatly arranged aisles, well-lit and comfortable to shop in. Brian the owner is a great guy.


But Ace Hardware in Northside is Bill's place and he's been here since the dawn of time. It used to be open at all hours but Bill is old now and in bad health. He can hardly walk and even with a cane it takes him an eternity to get to what ya need and back to the cash register. His store is crammed floor to ceiling with an unbelievable melange of hardware items, most of them stacked or seemingly tossed willy-nilly on top of one another. It is an amazing feast for the eyes this hoarding of hardware, bulging at the seams, jam-packed into the dilapidated old space.


But ask for something - ask for anything - and Bill knows exactly where it is. He takes yer money near the old television usually showing some grainy game show or soap opera. He smiles slightly and, after handing you your change, he says "Here, take one of my books," as he hands you an Ace Hardware flyer. The flyer is carefully designed, spiffy, clean, nicely organized. 


Nothing like old Bill's Ace.