Ace General Store

Ace General Store Community driven, heritage inspired goods and gear.

I have been thinking about you, about the shop. About what it meant to be part of a community we love so much. I recogni...
01/23/2026

I have been thinking about you, about the shop. About what it meant to be part of a community we love so much.

I recognize the irony of social media and how it has played a role in the division and hate we are seeing spread like wildfire. I acknowledge that the content you consume is the content you will see and truth lives somewhere in the middle of it all.

Ace was a shop build around community. About being a conduit for connection.

What does it look like to be steward of your community? I’m working on that. It’s paralyzing and overwhelming, all that is happening in our beloved state. No matter what you think about this administration, I pray we can collectively call a wrong, a wrong. What is happening in our streets, on our sidewalks, in our schools, churches, homes, businesses. None of it is okay.

Since we have joined corporate America, my kids are still getting used to not seeing us as often. My youngest wakes up every morning and immediately asks where every member of our family is. She checks them off, one by one. Today I’m thinking of Liam. I see his face in the face of my son.

I’m not sure what it all means, but I have hope. I know people are good. I pray you speak up and speak out, on or offline. Have hard conversations. Hold the line. Remember your humanity and want for others, what you want for your own family. Defend the Constitution. Love your neighbor and find any way you can to use your resources to help so many who are in need.

Hate is easy online. It’s cheap. Judgment is a click away. Don’t take the bait. Don’t look away either. If someone walked up to your table hungry, would you feed them?

Loving you and missing you, always.

Hi! These updates start to feel like love letters. Writing to you, knowing you won’t write back, but wanting you to know...
12/28/2025

Hi! These updates start to feel like love letters. Writing to you, knowing you won’t write back, but wanting you to know that I’m thinking of you. Today there is a snowstorm in Minnesota and I imagine all of us are hunkered down, watching the snow.

How was your holiday? Ours was lovely. The first time in eight years we were truly able to rest — what a gift!

I also ached for the shop, for all of you. Not always, but enough times to notice. My muscle memory kicked in and I had the urge to step in and help out. There is nothing like the work of brick-and-mortar retailers during the month of December.

I miss our long talks and stoking the fire. I miss being together. I laugh when I think about all the times we would run out of bags or large tee shirts. I miss our neighbors. Our Excelsior family. Our ACE family.

I pray for you in the mundane ways I know how.

Small businesses are at the root of our communities — may they thrive.

Our neighbors are worthy of belonging — may they be loved and valued.

My wish for all of us in 2026 will always be longer tables, listening ears, and endless grace.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. We love you!

Hi! It’s been a minute. We are coming up to what would be our tenth birthday and Small Business Saturday. One of my favo...
11/15/2025

Hi! It’s been a minute. We are coming up to what would be our tenth birthday and Small Business Saturday. One of my favorite days of the year. I will be honest with you, this month has felt like I have a phantom limb. I’m not driving around town, hauling Christmas trees and garland, ordering the firewood, packing the shop to the gills with our favorite things. I’m already nostalgic.

This will be my first year in a decade as just a consumer and I can’t help but think about how important it is. This year, not unlike years past, the state of our world will create uncertainty and the small businesses in your community will still need you.

What if we worked to build roots, not platforms? What if we did more with less? What if this holiday season was built upon intention and experience? I want to live in a world like that and if you’re still here, I know you do too.

Always missing you and wishing you every good thing. Shop small!

I saw someone wearing an Ace tee yesterday. I see them every once in a while. It’s my reminder that as often as I think ...
09/15/2025

I saw someone wearing an Ace tee yesterday. I see them every once in a while. It’s my reminder that as often as I think about you, you think about the shop, too.

In an uncertain world, I hope you remember how much we belong to each other. I hope the shop serves as your reminder that there is always room at the table. So pull up chair, listen, ask questions, be curious. There is no greater gift that we can give each other and nothing else but this will begin to heal anything that is broken. Always missing you and wishing you every good thing.

I watched a video yesterday describing the age old adage about life being made up of ordinary moments. How precious they...
07/04/2025

I watched a video yesterday describing the age old adage about life being made up of ordinary moments. How precious they are and how often the ordinary is overlooked. She described it best this way — everybody alive together. This stopped me in my tracks.

What a perfect definition of community — everybody alive together. And how lucky are we when we get the chance to love, support, and lift up one another? How can we continue to gather with the people we love, in the communities that lift us up, fighting for each other. It’s the whole point and when we measure our lives, I hope they are measured in ordinary moments, together, lending a hand and pulling up a chair. In service and in gratitude. Our communities are precious and they are worth fighting for.

Hi! A quick mic check and some thoughts that have been on my heart. The world is unsteady. It feels about ready to tip o...
06/24/2025

Hi! A quick mic check and some thoughts that have been on my heart. The world is unsteady. It feels about ready to tip over and I feel like I’m up about 30,000 feet watching, just out of reach. One thing I know about people is when we aren’t busy being the worst, we can be the absolute best. So this week I hope you feel brave enough to begin, maybe again (I’m learning this in real time). To do the kind, right thing. To be uninhibited by fear. To continue being gentle and loving, even when it’s hard. Sending love from here. I truly and honestly hope you are well. I’ll keep missing you!

Nobody talks about small business postmortem. Waking up and out of both habit and what feels like necessity, following t...
06/13/2025

Nobody talks about small business postmortem. Waking up and out of both habit and what feels like necessity, following the steps: email, social media, sales, team check-ins. My body doesn’t know how to turn that part off. It’s like breathing. A daily ritual of the last decade. I pop in here because our whole world lives here, too. Every friend, business owner, maker. All of you. I miss you. Maybe it’s a little much, but I’m just processing out loud. I hope that’s okay. Anyway, easing in to more time with our kids and the space to slow down. Sending all my love. Go out and support a small business this weekend, okay? ❤️

Here we go. I’m not ready to move on. Not yet. Our home is scattered with remnants of the shop. A fire pit, a propeller,...
06/06/2025

Here we go. I’m not ready to move on. Not yet. Our home is scattered with remnants of the shop. A fire pit, a propeller, mirrors, plants. Our community table leans up against the house. The shop existing all around us. The building will be painted in a few days and our story will soon be replaced by another story. Man, is this a reminder to hold on, but hold loosely. Nothing is forever.

It took me a long time to realize that I’ve never really ended anything. We’ve spent the better part of our adult lives building. Adding on. I haven’t closed a chapter and never like this. The grief is palpable, but I know it’s evidence of my love for this little carriage house and the community it cultivated.

I don’t know what comes next for our little corner of the world online. Maybe it eventually becomes an archive or maybe I continue using it to speak about my love for small business. I would love to continue writing. I know some of you will go, but know that I’ll still be here, cheering you on.

To say these years have been an honor would be an understatement. Ace serves as our reminder that people are good and when given the opportunity, they will care for each other.

To every person who has ever supported us, to every person who has ever worked with us, to all the companies and brands we had the privilege to represent — from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Tiny acts of care. If you take anything with you from this space or from us, it’s tiny acts of care. We love you more than words and we’ll see you soon.

If you’ve been curious about how we’re doing over here — it’s been a rollercoaster. We are impossibly grateful for your ...
05/18/2025

If you’ve been curious about how we’re doing over here — it’s been a rollercoaster. We are impossibly grateful for your support this last week. You all continue to show up! We’re heartbroken, mostly for our kids. Our oldest daughter, Elliott, feeling so connected to this space. She was quite literally raised here. We’re also blown away by how many of you are coming to Gathering of Friends 💔

It’s all encompassing, very much like life. Feeling ready to let go, but not wanting to. Even sharing less on here feels strange. This shop feels like breath to me. So, we’ll keep looking through old memories and sharing them here. Grainy videos and heartbreaking text messages. All the joy and heartache rolled into one.

We love you! Come see us in the shop until June 1st. Please come to our last community dinner on the 31st! Link to free tickets is on our website.

I’ve been practicing in my mind, trying to find some words, but they’ve all been taken, all used for ordinary considerat...
05/13/2025

I’ve been practicing in my mind, trying to find some words, but they’ve all been taken, all used for ordinary considerations that mean nothing in comparison to what you have meant. We say “Thank you very much” and “I appreciate you” to people who fill our grocery bags or hold open the door. What are the words to say to all of you who brought this shop to life, answered every call, all of you who love this shop right alongside us? There should be a different language for this. New words all together.

Instead of trying to find the right words, I want to invite you to our final Gathering of Friends. Please join us on Saturday, May 31st from 5-9pm for a community dinner and night of music. This is a pot luck! Bring a dish or a bottle of wine or honestly, just bring yourselves. The tickets are free, but it is ticketed, just because we have limited space available. Please snag one so we can plan for you!

, , + a few others will be joining us and I’m including a ticket donation option because if we can pool some money to support these musicians, I would be incredibly grateful.

There is no other way we could end this chapter of our story. Ace has been here for you and because of you for eight years and that is reason to celebrate! We love you all so much.

Original artwork from our grand opening by

Remember when you were a kid and driving with your parents — They would point out a building or business and tell you a ...
05/05/2025

Remember when you were a kid and driving with your parents — They would point out a building or business and tell you a story fueled by a memory of that place. You’d likely roll your eyes, half-listening, not able to understand the depth. They’d talk about what it used to be. There was no way of understanding it as a child, but what they were doing was trying to impress on you the value of memories. Reminding you that spaces, places, and experiences hold meaning that is lasting and permanent, even when the landscape changes.

I’ve written this a thousand times in my head, spoken it out loud in my car, and written it in my notes when I can’t sleep at night. It feels like both heartbreak and the most hopeful decision, but after eight unbelievable years, we have made the decision to close the shop.

It’s strange how what we do becomes part of our identity. This shop has held my heart from the moment I stepped foot inside. We brought three babies here. We’ve spent almost a decade of our lives here. Eight years! It’s all so significant and precious. It’s time I know I’ll hold onto forever. While we’re looking forward to our next chapter, so much of who we are lives in this community and with you.

If you know us in real life or virtually, you know we won’t go quietly. There will be no sunsetting for Ace General Store. If you’ve ever attended or wanted to join a community dinner or summer concert — you are officially invited to our final Gathering of Friends. Please stay tuned for details. I believe we’re made to be together and we would love to celebrate with you.

Our greatest hope is that one day, maybe not too far from now, you’ll be in Excelsior. You’ll walk down Water Street. You’ll see the little carriage house up on the hill. You’ll think of us and the shop and all the memories that not only hold meaning but so much love. Ace has seen a lifetime’s worth of joy and pride doesn’t come close. Owning this shop has been one of the greatest honors of my life. We love you so much.

Address

356 Water Street
Excelsior, MN
55331

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

+19522173217

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ace General Store posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Ace General Store:

Shortcuts

Share

Category