Gopher Ace Hardware

Our Story: A Rich History of Service

The story of our business begins in 1903, when the Kokesh brothers founded Kokesh Hardware. In 1905, one of the brothers bought out the other and renamed the store to F.J. Kokesh Hardware. In 1928, a son of the remaining brother joined the business and it was renamed back to Kokesh Hardware. The business continued to thrive until 1957, when it became Kokesh Athletic, focusing solely on sporting goods.

The relationship between Kokesh's and Kraemer's (Kraemer's True Value, founded in 1909) began when Kraemer sisters married Kokesh cousins. In the 1950s, Kokesh Hardware moved to a new building, taking the building with them to 10th Ave N in Hopkins. This allowed them to offer sporting goods in the expanded space. Some of the fixtures for Kokesh Hardware came from the remodeling of Kraemer's store in Glen Lake.

In 1957, Kokesh Hardware closed and became Kokesh Athletic & Golf Supply, with the remaining hardware inventory going to Kraemer's in Glen Lake. Paul Kokesh, who had started working at Kokesh Hardware in the 1950s, left to start Metro Athletic Supply in 1993, selling wholesale team athletic supplies and uniforms to local area schools, park and rec's, and even the Vikings. In 2013, after 55 years in the sporting goods business, Paul sold his business to Universal Athletic.

Kraemer's General Store became a True Value in the 1960s. Paul's brother, John Kokesh, was an owner of Kraemer's along with his uncles Carl Kraemer and John Kraemer. The Kraemer family was no stranger to business, with Paul Kraemer serving as President of Minnegasco, known now as CenterPoint Energy. Kraemer's True Value opened a second store in the Wayzata Bay Center in 1988.

In 1989, I, Michael Kokesh, started working at the Wayzata Kraemer's True Value. As Store Manager of the Wayzata Kraemer's True Value, I conducted a whole store remodel in 1997 with good friend Mark Schaefer. Mark and I had grown up just a mile apart and attended the same schools, including Benilde. St. Margaret's High School and the University of St. Thomas. Mark worked with Kraemer's until 2010, and in 2008, we learned that Kraemer's intended to close the Wayzata store due to development of the retail site.

In 2010, Mark and I pursued looking for locations to open a store and decided on Long Lake, a community hungry for a hardware store. We opened the doors to our first customer on March 14th, 2011, as Long Lake True Value. In September 2018, True Value sold 70% of its shares to an investment company, prompting us to look into other hardware distributors. In September 2018, Mark and I made the official decision to convert our store from a True Value to Ace Hardware, the largest hardware cooperative in the world.

Our Services: Meeting Your Home Improvement Needs

At our business, we pride ourselves on meeting all your home improvement needs. Our extensive inventory includes everything from tools and building supplies to paint and lawn and garden equipment. We offer expert advice and guidance to help you choose the right products for your project, and our experienced staff can provide you with tips and techniques to make your project a success.

In addition to our in-store services, we also offer delivery and installation services for your convenience. Whether you need a large appliance delivered and installed or a bulk order of building supplies, we've got you covered.

As a member of the Ace Hardware cooperative, we have access to a wide range of products and services, allowing us to offer you even more. With over 5,000 stores in over 60 countries, Ace Hardware is the largest hardware cooperative in the world, and we're proud to be a part of it.