A family three generations into the hardware trade has bought the Ace Hardware on West San Antonio Street, extended its hours and started hiring.
David and Taryn Stine have bought the Ace Hardware at 518 W. San Antonio St. in Lockhart and are putting the Stine name on the building, the Lockhart Post-Register reports. David Stine is a third-generation part-owner of Stine, a chain of home centers across Louisiana and Mississippi that his grandfather started in Sulphur, Louisiana. Because Ace runs as a cooperative of locally owned stores, the Stines keep local ownership while buying through a national brand.
The first change is already in place. The store now opens Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the Stines are hiring to cover the longer schedule. An exterior renovation starts this fall, adding a front porch, Austin stone, awnings and an enclosed garden center. The interior moves to Ace’s newest store design after the first of the year, and a full line of barbecue accessories arrives in early 2027.
Why it matters in the Eastern Crescent
Lockhart is the seat of Caldwell County, one of the ten counties CEEI works in. An operator with three generations in the trade buying a downtown storefront, adding hours and hiring to cover them is the kind of main street investment CEEI tracks. The Post-Register did not say how many jobs the longer hours add, and CEEI has not confirmed a figure.
Reporting by Anthony Collins, Lockhart Post-Register, 22 October 2026. Summary and commentary by CEEI. CEEI is not affiliated with Stine, Ace Hardware or the businesses named. Photo of West San Antonio Street in Lockhart by Renovation artwork by Stine Ace Hardware., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.