OPINION: We can’t build a strong economy on weak minimum wage
It didn’t take long after my husband and I opened our first hardware store in 2003 for people to start coming in and asking us to open in their neighborhood, too.
By 2009, we had grown to six Ace Hardware stores in Baltimore and Washington DC, with our seventh store opening in 2010 in Takoma Park, Maryland. We expanded further in 2012, growing from seven stores to nine with additional Washington DC and Maryland locations.
We may own the business, but we didn’t do this alone. Our growth would not have been possible without the help of our dedicated employees. Paying fair wages helped our business grow fast to nine stores and nearly 200 employees even as our country suffered a terrible economic downturn.