Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
While covering the Ace Hardware 2024 Fall Convention, which took place in Chicago August 8-10, I (Lindsey Thompson, NHPA managing editor) walked the show floor looking for the latest and greatest products. Here are my top five picks and why I think they’d be a great option to stock for independent home improvement retailers.
Starplast 3-Tier Multipurpose Cart
The Starplast 3-Tier Multipurpose Rolling Cart is a great way to organize a home, office, garage or any room. The cart includes three large, evenly distributed storage bins. With smooth rolling caters to make transport easy, this multipurpose cart is ideal for storage in the laundry, bathroom, craft room, office and pantry.
“I love the look and functionality of the metal versions of these three-tiered carts, and this one offers the same aesthetic but at a lower price point, which is around $24.99 retail. The cart is made from sustainable plastic and requires no tools to assemble, which is a great feature. It’s currently only available in the Ace warehouses but they are looking to expand to other independent retailers.”
StrapCap is a patented attachment for caulking guns that keeps mess to a minimum and caulking tubes fresh. StrapCap attaches to the caulking gun with a marine-grade bungee to keep the tube from leaking and making a mess, but it also can be used to store the caulking tube due to the handy base that attaches to the back.
“As a DIYer, I thought this was really cool and a convenient way to keep caulk fresh for the next job. This would be a great addition to both hardware and paint stores as an easy add-on item.”
Urban Slicer Pizza Mojo White Seasoning
Urban Slicer Pizza Mojo White Seasoning is a rich blend of garlic, buttery cheese and some impressive flavor wizardry that makes pizza magical. Great on pizza but also works wonders as a topping for veggies, steak and even popcorn.
“I had the pleasure of getting to taste Mojo White Seasoning on the show floor on a piece of pizza. So good! It was garlicky and cheesy and just really good. This would be a versatile product, as it could go in the barbecue section or in a food section. It retails around $7.99. These products are available in the Ace and True Value warehouses currently.”
Bacon Up is authentic bacon grease, captured as the supplier makes bacon bits and pre-cooked bacon for their other customers. Bacon Up is triple-filtered and a small amount of BHA, an antioxidant that protects the flavor, is added. 
“This caught my eye right away because I keep a mason jar of bacon grease in my fridge and feel like I am constantly having to throw it out because of mold. This product comes in two sizes, a 14-ounce tub and 3-gallon bucket, and retails at $7.99 to $9.99 for the smaller size.”
Cirkul’s innovative bottle allows you to flavor your water sip by sip. Go from drinking plain water to drinking your new favorite beverage to back to drinking plain water with a turn of the flavor dial. Cirkul water bottles come in stainless steel, plastic and insulated squeeze varieties. The cartridges include all-natural flavors with no calories and no sugar.
“Water bottles are all the rage right now, but Cirkul offers something different with the flavor cartridges so you can have different drinks with just one bottle. The variety of flavors of cartridges available are also really great, everything from fruity options to teas to energy drinks.”
The products selected are chosen solely by me and in no way reflect the opinions of or are endorsed by the North American Hardware and Paint Association.
