Retailer Hops on Train to Help Museum, Community

The community of Granby, Colorado, looks forward to the Christmas model train exhibit set up by the Grand County Railroad Club. Recently, the club secured land that will allow it to keep the display up all year, will feature a museum and has enough space for full-size trains outside.

The property requires significant renovations before the Moffatt Road Railroad Museum can be open to the public, which is a cause that caught the attention of Country Ace Hardware owner Amy Kaplanis.

“We’ve always tried to reach out and support the community,” she says. “We’re a small town. All of us who work at the store live here, too.”

Kaplanis hosted a Ladies Night with a $5 entry fee. The railroad club served appetizers and welcomed attendees, and all of the entry fees went to the museum.

Following that event, Kaplanis knew how Country Ace and the community could give back even more. The business has the capability through its POS system to offer customers the chance to round up their purchases. Kaplanis decided to utilize the system as a fundraiser for the museum.

“Customers like this type of fundraiser because it benefits the entire community, and it’s a true project,” she says. “They like to give to something local they can see.”

Country Ace ran the fundraiser from Memorial Day through the month of June, and Granby community members raised more than $4,600 for the visitor center in the museum.

The trains will be on display this holiday season, and the plan is for the visitor center to open next summer.