News Editor When Gordon and Kathy Pierce decided to retire as long-time owners of Community Lumber & Ace Hardware in Lexington, there were definitely some mixed emotions involved.

“It was bittersweet. Lexington has always supported this store, and we have a lot of loyal customers and friends. Gordon really misses the day to day interaction with customers; he likes helping people,” remarked Kathy.

The couple are getting ready for a hardware auction on Feb. 28 starting at 9:30 a.m. at 2401 Main St. as Adkins Auction will be auctioning off the business’ remaining hardware inventory.

At one time there were several Community Lumber locations throughout the region, including a store in Higginsville. The Lexington location, which closed its doors in December 2024, was the last one.

Gordon got his start in the lumber business fresh out of high school in 1973 working at the El Dorado Springs location, later working his way up to a manager position.

In 1991, Gordon became manager of the Lexington location, which opened in 1984. Gordon and Kathy bought the business in 2005.

Kathy and Gordon saw a lot of changes take place in the hardware business over the years, including other hardware stores opening up in Lexington. But one constant was the love and support of the Lexington community, which was never more on display than following a fire at the business in 2011.

“The support we got from the community was amazing. The roof had to be replaced but inside the store, there was only water damage from the water that was coming through the ceiling. Several people — including Leland Struchtemeyer — came in and helped us vac the floor and throw tarps over the product to protect it. Several men worked on our roof to get it closed up, including Tommy Drake, Sam Leach and Tim Saunders. There may have been a few others as well. We did not miss a day of work; we were open the very next day,” added Kathy.

They also had, in the words of Kathy, “some of the best employees around.”