Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
For 80 years, Seashore Ace Home & Outdoor Living has been the go-to source for coastal comfort and outdoor living in the seaside community of Stone Harbor, New Jersey.
Now in its third generation of family ownership, the store has grown from a small appliance and home supply store to a full-service operation offering a selection of beach, home decor, home improvement and maintenance products.
As the name suggests, the store also carries a robust selection of outdoor living items. Owner Jim Fisher and his team have created an outdoor furniture section that caters specifically to the store’s resort-town customers. From managing inventory throughout the year to keeping up with seasonal purchasing patterns and home decor trends, see how Fisher has leaned into a niche and found success in this category.
Outdoor Upgrades
According to the Deckorators 2026 Outdoor Living Report, homeowners are seeking outdoor spaces that provide luxury living and serve as places to connect, unwind and express personal style, and contractors are combining technology and design to enhance backyards and patios to meet those needs.
“In recent years, ‘home’ has taken on a deeper meaning—not just as a place to live, but as a sanctuary for connection, comfort and renewal,” says Michelle Hendricks, director of marketing at Deckorators. “As more people choose to thrive in place rather than relocate, a powerful movement has emerged—transforming outdoor areas into extensions of the home that enhance quality of life, nurture overall well-being and boost property value.”
The report details the trends shaping how contractors, designers and homeowners approach outdoor spaces like decks, docks, patios and backyards and how homeowners are prioritizing outdoor living upgrades that balance beauty, functionality and longevity. See the key trends shaping today’s outdoor design.
Black Accents Bring Luxury
Bold accents are gaining popularity in outdoor living spaces, according to 37% of design experts. Pairing warm neutral shades with black details provides a bold look with a hint of luxury.
Create Multilayered Outdoor Zones
Investing in pools typically delivers an average 56% ROI, according to the report. Add a dark-toned deck and textured concrete features to a pool area or create an outdoor living room with furniture, accent lighting and built-in storage.
Personalized Waterfront Features
Waterfront living is as popular as ever today, with lakefront or riverfront properties seeing up to 25% higher resale value compared to inland homes.
Incorporate Pet-Friendly Materials
In the U.S., an estimated 94 million, or 71% of households, own at least one pet, according to the American Pet Products Association. Adding pet doors and ramps that seamlessly integrate into outdoor spaces gives furry friends the functionality they need without sacrificing a space’s overall look.
Curate Curb Appeal
A recent study from Thumbtack and Nextdoor found 54% of homeowners say neighborhood curb appeal impacted their homebuying decision. Inviting front porches and expansive decks are top-of-mind for homeowners looking to create welcoming entrances and intentional gathering spaces while also boosting a home’s curb appeal.
Seashore Ace is a two-story store located on a main street in Stone Harbor. The store’s second floor is fully dedicated to outdoor living items, mainly grills and outdoor furniture, spanning 7,000 square feet. Seashore Ace also sells a significant amount of add-on products alongside outdoor living products, including grill cleaning products, cooking tools and rubs, brines and sauces for grilling, furniture covers, umbrellas and bases, outdoor lighting and home decor.
“Our grills and outdoor furniture categories take up about 60% of the second floor, with the rest of the floor being stockroom and office space,” Fisher says. “This allows us to display furniture from 15 brands and seven different grill companies.”
Stocking Ahead of the Season
Stone Harbor is a resort community with a large population of homeowners who own second homes in the community. While the amount of new and rental home construction in the town provides a consistent stream of sales for Seashore Ace’s outdoor living section, it also presents challenges in keeping up with the amount of inventory needed.
“We are forced to stock quite a bit of inventory, which we do in our offshore warehouses, to have it available before the season quickly turns over,” Fisher says.
When managing a significant amount of inventory, it’s important to stay organized and create simple processes to keep products moving from the warehouse to the shelves. Regularly rotating endcaps, keeping shelves clean and store sections tidy and running sales to move out old products are good practices to not get overwhelmed with the amount of items you may have at one time.
Fisher and his team are cognizant of factors like lead times, rental dates and expected construction completions when his customers are purchasing furniture, grills or other outdoor living items.
Getting to know your customers’ motivations for making larger purchases like these is an essential step in earning customer trust and loyalty, as they know you have their best interests in mind and can help them make the best purchase decision, he says.
“We are well aware of the need to focus on what’s important to our customers to assess whether we would have time to special order items or if in-stock merchandise is the customer’s best option,” Fisher says.
Fisher closely monitors outdoor furniture and product trends to manage his amount of inventory and only stock what his customers will buy, removing any products that have gone out of style or are no longer selling.
“More deep seating and sectionals, firepits and mixed media designs that showcase homeowners’ personal style are becoming more popular,” Fisher says. “We have more second homeowners who aren’t renting, so they are thinking more about what they would want for their families.”
Pre-Summer Planning Drives Revenue Seasonal Sales Push
Early spring is the busiest time of year for outdoor furniture special orders, Fisher says, as most customers will place custom orders ahead of the summer months. The weeks leading up to Memorial Day are the busiest for grill sales for the same reason. Seashore Ace brings in adjacent sales through furniture shrinkwrap and delivery services.
The delivery service is busiest during the spring and the shrinkwrap service is offered during the fall offseason, giving customers protection for their furniture during harsh winter conditions.
“Most customers who we sell furniture to take advantage of the free local delivery, and we have approximately 800 customers who utilize our shrinkwrap services,” Fisher says.
