The History of Bleckley County Hardware

Bleckley County Hardware began operation in 1992 under the direction of Mr. Bob Childs.  Mr. Childs who was originally from Bonaire, Georgia, opened the doors of the modest 3500 square foot establishment, which was conveniently, located on a 27-acre parcel of land in Bleckley County, Georgia near the intersection of State Highways 26 and 87.  After much consideration of National Branded Hardware Corporations, Mr. Childs teamed with the Ace Hardware Corporation and opened the doors under the original name of Bleckley Co. Ace Inc.  Through a diligent commitment to product knowledge, product availability, and friendly and personal service Mr. Childs found that in only four years the business had outgrown its location.  In 1996, Mr. Childs set out to increase the size of the location to its current size of approximately 9000 Square feet of sales floor and nearly two acres of outdoor garden center.  Bleckley Co. Ace Inc. continued to be a leader in the local areas hardware industry as the business grew to employ a sales staff of up to sixteen sales persons, two managers and one office manager.  In 2001, Bleckley Co. Ace Inc. was awarded Bleckley County's Small Business of the Year Award, which was presented by the members of the Cochran/Bleckley Chamber of Commerce.

In November 2001, (son) Derek L. Childs joined the Bleckley Co. Ace Inc. team after ten years of law enforcement service in the Warner Robins area.

Under new leadership, Derek L. Childs and Staff set out to continue the sound business tradition that had made Bleckley Co. Ace Inc. a landmark in the Cochran-Bleckley County Area.

After careful consideration and comparisons among other national co-ops, product selections, pricing, and "corporate philosophy"  Derek L. Childs chose to move Bleckley Co. Ace Inc. from the Ace Hardware Corporation umbrella.

On January 1, 2005, Bleckley Co. Ace Inc., joined with approximately 4200 other Industry Leaders as part of "Do it Best Corps"  winning team.  Do it Best Corp. offers over 72,000 items to its members which increases the product selection by 5000 items and the buying power of 4200 stores translates to lower retail pricing for our nations customers.