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school district where
A fire destroyed the store in 1961. The family rebuilt on the same site.
• The class of 2011 received admission invitations to over
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Philip Scheer started the store with his brother Martin in 1946.
Without their experience, we could
never have grown to this extent."
A fire destroyed the store in
December of 1961, but they rebuilt
at the same site. In 1967, expanding
meant moving across Nine Mile to the
current location. "I still have the cer-
emonial gold shovel," he said.
Scheer retired in 1991, but he still
comes to the store every Saturday.
Current owners are his daughter, Carol
Scheer Steffes, 56, and Paul Krupkin,
56, who started working at the store
as an Oak Park High co-op student 39
years ago.
"My father put me to work around
age five, along with my sisters, dusting
the shelves:' Steffes recalls. "I worked
at Camp Tamarack during the sum-
mers." The store was a major supplier
of provisions for the camp.
"Paul and I are like brother and
sister:' she says. "We're always here, so
a lot of people think we're married to
each other. We're not. I think our store
has stayed in business as long as we
have because of our customer ser-
vice. We have 35 employees. We have
people who are knowledgeable in each
department. People come here because
they know they can get service."
How have the big-box stores affect-
ed Scheer's Ace Hardware?
Not much, says Krupkin. "We have a
unique location. We get business from
Detroit, Royal Oak, Pleasant Ridge,
Huntington Woods, Ferndale, Oak
Park — that covers a lot of people
he says. "People come in from the
neighborhood, they know us by name,
we know them by name. We help
them out. It's something that you don't
always get at the bigger stores!'
Competition is not new to the store.
"When we first opened, there were at
least a dozen hardware stores in a two-
mile radius:' said Martin Scheer. "I like
to think it was our business acumen
that enabled us to survive while the
others folded. We've weathered the ups
and downs of the economy over the
years, but the trend has always been
growth."
The store's 65th anniversary cel-
ebration is set for Saturday, Sept. 17,
from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. It will include
demonstrations, hourly giveaways,
popcorn, face painting, a raffle, hot
dogs and pop for Children's Miracle
Network, and a chance to congratulate
the Scheer family for their longevity
and service to the community. II
of weari ng
on it
You can't enjoy jewelry if it's sitting in your safe
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We deal in jewelry, watches, diamonds and coins.
A Service to
Private Owners,
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Contact Larry Allan
33700 Woodward Ave. • Between 14 Mile & Lincoln
248-644..8565
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Visit theJEWISHNEWS.com
September 15 - 2011
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