04/10/2026
Fifteen years ago, a woman looked at us and said, "I can't sell pickles in a hardware store."
Her name is Mrs. Lucille Bevans, and she owns the local Littleton Ace Hardware store we walked into one day on a whim. We had just started Tru Pickles and were pounding the pavement, looking for anyone willing to put our jars on a shelf. Aside from candy bars and beef jerky, hardware stores didn't exactly scream "food destination." But Greg asked her to just give it a shot — if they don't sell, he'd come back and take them. No risk to her.
She was game.
A couple of days later, she called asking for more cases — and could we bring some to her daughter's store too? Within a couple of months, we were in about 26 local Ace Hardware locations. Then came the invitation to their Fall 2011 national convention, where we got to put Tru Pickles in front of retailers from across the country.
The reactions were priceless. Skeptical looks. "Pickles in a HARDWARE STORE??" And then — the ones who said, "Hey, we'll try it." Next thing we knew, our pickles were being stocked in Ace warehouses nationwide. Our slogan, "Taste The Craze," had never felt more fitting.
Every year after that, we'd run into retailers who loved telling us how crazy they thought we were — and how well it worked.
Fifteen years later, we're still selling pickles at Ace Hardware. And Ace has grown an entire section dedicated to specialty foods — jams, sauces, and yes, pickles. All because one woman was willing to give a couple of strangers and their jars of pickles a chance.
We'll always be grateful to Mrs. Bevans, and the hardware store that started it all. Ace Hardware has been an incredible partner — full of amazing, fun, and innovative people every step of the way.
Ace is Tru-ly the Place. Thank you, Mrs. Bevans, for taking that chance 15 years ago! 🥒🙏
