Decorah Ace Stores Named 2026 Business of the Year Following Latest Downtown Expansion

Keep local news local. Support Decorah News. DECORAH — For more than five decades, Ace Hardware has been a mainstay among Decorah's family-owned businesses located in the city's historic downtown commercial district. What began in 1975 as a single, traditional neighborhood hardware store has evolved into a thriving three-location retail operation. That remarkable longevity and continued growth earned Decorah Ace Stores the title of 2026 Business of the Year at Tuesday night's Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce business awards ceremony. "It's really awesome to be recognized for our expansion and the longevity of having the stores in town," said owner Julie Spilde. For Spilde, the family hardware business has been the backdrop of her entire life, stretching from her elementary school days, when she and her brother helped their parents, Jerry and Joann Aulwes, at the original West Water Street location, to taking over ownership with her husband, Steve, in 2002. Over the last two decades, Julie and Steve have transformed that traditional, small-town hardware shop into a dynamic local empire. They moved the flagship store to its iconic corner spot at 200 E. Main St. in 2007, complete with a nostalgic wooden screen door and two friendly shop dogs. When the hardware store became too small for the expanding inventory, Spilde strategically expanded in 2005, launching Ace Kitchen Place, a store dedicated to all things kitchen, along Water Street. Earlier this year, Spilde saw a second opportunity to expand when the Kitchen Place ran out of space for unique shelf-stable goods. Directly across Water Street from the kitchen store, Spilde launched The Pantry, with the new space allowing shelf-stable goods to shine rather than crowd the aisles. What started as a single storefront has grown into a three-location cornerstone of the community. That growth was officially recognized Tuesday when Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jessica Rilling presented the Spilde family with the Decorah 2026 Business of the Year award. "We are pleased to recognize your unwavering commitment to small businesses, which you renew at each opportunity," Rilling said, presenting the family with an engraved crystalline statue. But awards don't keep the shelves stocked. Less than 24 hours after holding the trophy, Spilde was right back to work, juggling tasks across their trio of properties. When asked where the business will stand five decades down the road, she laughed at the timeline but remained fiercely clear on the mission: The family legacy will always exist to feed and supply Decorah. For now, the Business of the Year statue rests in the main office, but it won't stay hidden away for long. "I am thinking maybe we will keep it at The Pantry store since that is the most recent addition," Spilde said, pointing toward the future.