Northwoods Hardware, Home & Garden in Glen Arbor plans expansion
From staff reports
Northwoods Hardware owners Jeff and Georgia Gietzen have announced the purchase of property directly adjacent to their current business (where Wildflowers was located until last summer). The Gietzens anticipate the purchase of 50 percent of the remaining south lot by mid-July. The Wildflowers property had previously been purchased by a developer with plans to build condos, but is no longer moving forward with the development.
With the property purchase, Gietzen’s anticipate the expansion plans to include increased parking for customers (on both lots) along with parking for employees on the middle lot. Plans also include significant expansion of the main hardware building to the south (towards Wildflowers). Also being consider is the construction of a new multi-use building on the east side of what will now be the middle lot. This will allow Northwoods to grow the garden center, increase their lumber offering, enhance the screen shop, with the possibility to include the addition of a more complete rental center and much more storage space for our early buys and deal merchandise.
The immediate efforts for this year will be focused on the site plan, permitting and various approvals.
“Ideally we would like to start this fall with a new driveway to the south of the hardware building, the added parking on both lots, a connector ramp from the hardware north lot to the middle lot (increased circulation) with the ability to enter and or exit through an existing Wildflowers driveway,” said Jeff Gietzen. “Time, cost and weather will be the determining factors.”
Northwoods Hardware, Home & Garden has served the Glen Arbor community for 11 years, with steady growth, great team members and supportive customers.
“We look forward to offering an increased variety of products, better flow of traffic and parking, and expanded service offerings,” said Gietzen. “As we continually hear from our customers, ‘So Much More than a Hardware Store’.”
