Source: Aurora (1948) Ad:
ACE HARDWARE
Gift Items
Sporting Goods
107-109 N. Walnut St. Phone 66
NORTH MANCHESTER
Source: NMHS Newsletter, August 1995
Ace Hardware
from Main Street NEWS JOURNAL April 13, 1967
Ivan Little started in the hardware business in North Manchester in 1924 in the
location of the Ace Hardware presently (in 1967) owned and operated by his
daughter, Mary Louise Little at 107 N. Walnut Street.
Mr. Little began a partnership with Gus Frame which operated in the present
location under the name of Frame and Little Hardware. In 1936, Little moved to a
new location to form the Ace Hardware. The business moved back into the Ulrey
Building in 1945 when he bought out the Frame family. This purchase ended one of
the oldest businesses in North Manchester and gave permanent location to another
of the town's oldest family owned businesses. Ivan Little died in 1953 giving
the operation and ownership to his wife and daughter, Mary Louise Little. In
July, 1957, Miss Little became sole owner after buying her mother's interest.
....Mary Louise Little has been in and out of the store all of her life when her
father was in business. She confessed that she wanted to be a nurse, but after
two weeks away at school, returned to North Manchester and the hardware
business.
Miss Little is very active in civic affairs and was elected North Manchester's
Outstanding Citizen by the Jaycees in 196l. She is the only woman to receive
this honor. For her work in the Business and Professional Women's Club, she was
given the "Career Woman" award as a past president of the organization.
Her list of offices and organizations are extensive. She is: chairman of the
Community Improvement Committee; vice-president of the Fine Arts Club; director
of the North Manchester Foundation; president of the Associate Tri Kappa; one of
the directors of the Wabash County United Fund; past grandmatron of the Indiana
Chapter Order of the Eastern Star; director of the Masonic Home board; and
assistant organist of the United Church of Christ.
Ace Hardware employs six with service dating back to 1936. Bertha Fulton has
been with the business for 31 years, starting when Miss Little's father began in
business. Dick Strain has been with the store since 1947, while Robert Higgins
started a few years later in 1953. Roxy Little has worked with waiting on
customers since her beginning in 1955. The newest members of the Ace
organization in North Manchester are Virgil Sites and Doris Robinson who started
in 1962 and 1964 respectively.