Fourth Repair Cafe in Palo Alto a Success

Sunday, July 21, was the fourth Repair Cafe in Palo Alto and again, we had a great time.

Here is what the founder, Peter Skinner, reported on the event:

Thanks to all of you who participated in yesterday's Repair Cafe.  We had the usual eclectic collection of stuff come across the transom, including bikes, clothing, cameras, cell phones and computers, lawnmowers, luggage, lamps, toasters, cd players and microwaves.  We saw 3 broken sewing machines and a vintage film projector.  We even had a brush with a Silicon Valley legend [Dan Kottke...known as 'Apple employee number one']  – see my blog post here.



All told, 73 people brought in 114 items. We were able to fix 76 of them (67%)  and partially fix another 14 (12%).  The remaining items were deemed worthy of the recycling bin (provided by Greenwaste of Palo Alto) or carted away by their owners.  Not a bad fix rate!  There were many very happy people when they left.  Here's feedback from two satisfied visitors to the Repair Café:

Just wanted to weigh in to tell you how pleased we were to bring our “old”super 8 movie projector 

for repair and have so many volunteers show an interest in making this family relic work correctly. 

No less than six and more like seven or seven gentlemen had a look and tired MANY ideas to make 

the projector work as of old. At the end of the afternoon with Jim and Casey’s expertise, they 

got the it to almost work correctly. Movies can be seen and with a bit of “hands on” the movies 

can be seen without the flicker that plagued it before. It was a 

solution is to have at least some of the most precious family memories done by a professional unanimous  that the BEST 

and use the projector for family night entertainment. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR YOUR HELP

 

Nick and Barbara Mardesich

Cupertino, CA

Leatherman Micra

Leatherman Micra, the perfect pocket tool.

Fellow FACE* Team member Heather highly recommends the Leatherman Micra mini tool.
Tools include: Spring-action Scissors, Nail File/Nail Cleaner, Tweezers, 420HC Knife, Extra-small Screwdriver, Medium Screwdriver Flat/Phillips Screwdriver, Ruler (4.7 in / 12.0 cm,) Bottle Opener and Key Ring Attachment.

"The Micra is one of the most useful tools I've ever owned. I remember my mom used to have a great set of collapsible pocket scissors that we used constantly. The Micra takes that convenience and practicality a step beyond. Everyone should have one of these in their purse or pocket!"

*Facilitating Awesome Customer Engagement

Children's Miracle Network Hospital 20% OFF Sale

Hassett ACE Hardware is proud to be teaming up with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, donating with each purchase for a great cause!

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals is an alliance of 170 premier children's hospitals that treat an astounding 17 million sick and injured kids each year. Whether they suffer from common childhood afflictions like asthma, and broken bones, or fighting bigger challenges like birth defects or cancer, CMN Hospitals provide comfort, treatment and hope to millions of sick children and their families across the country. There is a CMN Hospital serving each and every community across the United States, and 100% of the money raised locally stays local.

Ellie is the 2013 ACE All-Star. At 20 weeks in utero, Ellie was diagnosed with Myelomeningocele, an open type of Spina Bifida.

Here's what Nikki, Elle's mom, had to say about their experience at Lurie Children's Hopital (a CMN hospital):

"Lurie Children's gave us more than hope; they opened our hearts back up to feeling joy. When Ellie came into the world, she was rushed to Lurie within an hour of her life.  Her back was open, with spinal cord exposed, nerves damaged, hyperextended knees, club feet, hydrocephalus and an array of other issues. Lurie took her and took care of her like nowhere else. Everyone from the transport team to the neurosurgeons embraced us and cared for us and our daughter like family. Ellie had two surgeries within her first few days of life. There were limited expectations as to what she would accomplish. Lurie Children's taught us how to fight for her, and I'm proud to say she has defied most odds given to her.

Ellie has a little sister Mia, and as a family, we don't let anything stop us.  We have a rule in our house.  We don't use the contraction "can't" we say "can try". Ellie goes to school with all her neighborhood friends, and learns in a regular education third-grade classroom making excellent grades. She plays sled hockey, miracle league baseball, dances ballet and tap and is in Girl Scouts.  She can do all of this thanks to the miracles of medicine, and the gift of modern technology, the love of family and the spirit of hope, all of which were received at Lurie Children's. Lurie Children's is not just a hospital. It is a family of doctors, nurses and staff reaching out, hugging you, and caring for your whole family.

On behalf of Ellie, and our entire family, thank you for participating in this campaign.  Every dollar you raise for your local Children's Miracle Network Hospital makes a difference in the lives of children and families just like ours. So, thank you again and good luck!"

Exclusions: *10% discount on power tools and small appliances. Regular priced items only. Excludes propane, labor charges, Stihl, Weber & Miele products. Limit one bucket per person, per sale period.

Buy Ariat Boots at ACE!

We - and that means just about all 50 or so of our employees, along with the proper We as a store - are really excited to now carry Ariat boots and shoes!



Ariat was formed to bring top riding ware to the world's top equestrian athletes. They've since branched out to include a line of excellent-quality boots and shoes for the rest of us non-elite shoe-wearers to enjoy, and are still America's number one English and Western performance footwear brand.  

We'll have lots of styles for you to choose from in our Half Moon Bay location, and just in case you live closer to one of our other stores - Palo Alto, San Mateo or Willow Glen, or you don't see what you want in HMB, we'll be happy to special order for you!



Personally, I dig the black leather platform slides - great for summer, easy to put on, feel like flip-flops, but look a whole lot better - though the boots worn by Danielle Bradbery on The Voice are probably much more practical for walking around the hardware store.


Maybe I need both - since I'm not always at work and a girl needs good (and pretty) shoes with star-athlete-quality support, doesn't she?

-Jocelyn Broyles

Dry Canning

Now I admit, I too thought that having all my pastas and dry goods in clear jars was something for some fancy TV cook's kitchen, not mine. That is until I bumped over an open two-pound box of spaghetti, causing a shower of noodles all over the floor. The whole incident brought back memories of playing pickup sticks as a child. Only without the fun aspect - especially when the cat decided to come and "help". I'm still finding noodles on the floor, and this was over a month ago.

The next morning upon arriving at work I checked out our storage aisle, hoping to find anything to put my pasta in, to avoid future spaghetti showers. What I found was a collection of dry good jars, and we have them in both plastic and glass. One was the exact size of my spaghetti! Woot!

I've since learned it's nice being able to see what I'm running low on at a glance, without picking up every box and opening it. Cereal even stays more crunchy and doesn't get stale as quickly, and I live in a humid environment (read: foggy Half Moon Bay).

And who says fancy TV cooks don't eat cereal for dinner?"

- Larissa Texter, FACE team, Hassett ACE Hardware, Half Moon Bay

Fiber Fix - Repair Things Without Welding, Nailing or Gluing

Ever broken a tool in the middle of a project, but it's too late in the day, or you're too over the project to do much about it but swear (or possibly cry)?

Next, you think about Duct taping it together and go so far as to come up with a splint-type fix-it plan, but as you're getting the piece of starter wood from the woodpile, you realize it's just a pipe dream.

At ACE, we break stuff all the time, and we thought fixing things like shovel and broom handles, chairs, hoses, and leaky PVC pipe was just a dream too, until we were introduced to Fiber Fix. It's 100 times stronger than Duct tape, it hardens like steel and it just wraps around the broken area!

I know what you're thinking - at the moment it only comes in black, but it's paintable, and sandable.



I'm thinking this is a must in our household's camping kit and in the car's tool kit next to the Duct tape!

For full instructions, check out this video, but it's really easy to use: Just wet it, tightly wrap the item to be fixed, wait five to 10 minutes and get back to work. It will be fully cured after 24 hours and is meant to be a permanent repair. It comes with gloves, and we recommend using them. The resin will stay on whatever it touches (ie: hands, clothes), so if you trim it with scissors, or get it on your hands, wash the resin off quickly. See instructions for full safety details.

Find FiberFix at all four of our locations: Half Moon Bay, Palo Alto, San Mateo and Willow Glen.

- FACE team, Hassett ACE Hardware, Half Moon Bay

Fun Facts about July 4th

The Fourth of July 2013
On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

2.5 million
In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970
<http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/HistoricalStatisticsoftheUnitedStates1789-1945.pdf>

316.2 million
The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth.
Source: U.S. and World Population Clock <http://www.census.gov/popclock/>

The Signers
56
Numbers of signers to the Declaration of Independence.

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston comprised the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration. Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer, wrote most of the document.

It's also worth noting that:

John Hancock, President of the Second Continental Congress, was the first signer. This merchant by trade did so in an entirely blank space making it the largest and most famous signature - hence the term John Hancock, which is still used today as a synonym for signature.

Benjamin Franklin (age 70), who represented Pennsylvania, was the oldest of the signers. Franklin County, Pa., had an estimated population of 151,275 as of July 1, 2012. Edward Rutledge (age 26), of South Carolina, was the youngest.
Two future presidents signed, John Adams (second President) and Thomas Jefferson (third President). Both died on the 50th anniversary of signing the Declaration (July 4, 1826). There are 12 counties nationwide named Adams and 26 named Jefferson.
Robert Livingston, who represented New York, was on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence but was recalled by his state before he could sign it. Livingston County, N.Y., was home to an estimated 64,810 people as of July 1, 2012.
Representing Georgia in 1776 were Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and George Walton. Gwinnett County, Ga. (842,046), Hall County, Ga. (185,416) and Walton County, Ga. (84,575) were named for these signers.
Charles Carroll, who represented Maryland, was the last surviving member of the signers of the Declaration. He died in 1832 at the age of 95. Carroll County, Md., named for him, had an estimated population of 167,217 as of July 1, 2012.
Roger Sherman, who worked as a land surveyor and lawyer, represented Connecticut.
Nelson County, Va. (14,827) and Wythe County, Va. (29,251) were named for two of the six signers who represented the state of Virginia - Thomas Nelson Jr. and George Wythe.
Sources: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012
<http://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/totals/2012/CO-EST2012-01.html>,
2011 American Community Survey
<http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_1YR_B24124&prodType=table> and
2011 County Business Patterns (NAICS)
<http://censtats.census.gov/cgi-bin/cbpnaic/cbpsect.pl>

Tips on starting a charcoal grill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1UvFZGI22M

Demo of the different products to start a charcoal grill.

Hassett ACE Hardware 4th of July Hours

Ace Hardware is having a fabulous 4th of July sale, Wednesday, July 3 through Monday, July 8!

Our hours will be shorter than normal, but we'll still be as helpful as we can.

Half Moon Bay:
Monday - Friday: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sat and Sun: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

Palo Alto:
Monday - Friday: 7:30 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday & Sun: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

San Mateo:
Monday - Saturday: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Willow Glen:
Monday - Saturday: 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sundays: 8:00 am - 7:00 pm