buy lumber, paint, or plumbing supplies.
It's where neighbors stop for advice, seasonal homeowners find solutions to weekend projects, and generations of customers are greeted by name.
Nearly five decades after David and Wilamenia Adams purchased the business in 1978, the family-owned store continues serving the northern Michigan community with the same commitment to customer service that helped it grow from a small downtown hardware store into a full-service lumberyard and Ace Hardware retailer.
"The people in town were really excited to have him come purchase the store because they really wanted to make sure there was still a hardware store in town," said Sean Adams, the couple’s son, who owns and operates the business.
Community support has been part of the store's success from the beginning.
David Adams wasn't originally in the hardware business. He delivered milk to homes in the Detroit area before recognizing that home delivery was disappearing.
"My dad could see that that business was going away and knew he needed to pivot and do something different," Sean Adams said.
Looking for a better place to raise a family, he and his wife moved north, where David managed local lumberyards before purchasing the Bear Lake hardware store.
The investment paid off.
As customers embraced the business, the original downtown location became too small. In 1988, the family built its current location on Chippewa Highway and gradually expanded into a full-service lumberyard serving homeowners, contractors, and the region's growing number of seasonal residents.
Sean Adams officially joined the business after graduating from Western Michigan University in 1993, although he jokes that his first responsibilities started much earlier.
"I pushed the broom around the store when I was probably about 11," he said.
His sister, Kimberly Ware, later left an engineering career to return home and help manage the business. The siblings eventually purchased the company from their parents. Sean Adams now oversees daily operations, while Ware continues to handle the bookkeeping remotely.
Although the business has expanded, its philosophy has remained consistent.
"I believe that the reason we do so well with our customers is just our personal one-on-one service," Adams said. "We want people to know our names and know that we're part of the community, and we want to know their names."
He describes Bear Lake Ace Hardware as the opposite of an anonymous shopping experience.
"We're not a self-checkout location," he said. "We want to be integral to their family and want to know them in our community."
That personal service is especially important during the summer, when many vacation homeowners and visitors come to the area.
The busy season brings more customers, but it also makes it harder to find enough employees.
"Probably the biggest challenge that we face is just the lack of labor," Adams said. "Finding good people to work for you is a constant struggle."
Many employees have worked at the store for years. They know the customers and provide the friendly service people count on.
Supporting those employees has been a priority.
Bear Lake Ace Hardware has participated in the Michigan Retail Hardware Association, now part of the Michigan Retailers Association, since shortly after David Adams purchased the business. Through the Association, the store has relied on group health insurance and workers' compensation programs for decades.
The business weathered the housing recession that challenged many lumberyards, and Adams credits loyal customers with helping the store continue serving the community.
"This business has been extremely rewarding," he said. "To still be a local community where we know everybody's name and customers year after year and generation after generation."