Davis, CA – On March 12, we announced to our valued employee team the sale of Davis Ace and Aggie Ace to our friends at Crown Hardware. We are so very excited to make this announcement to our friends and family. As Doby and I approach another decade in age -we know this is the right time and the right people to carry forward the traditions in Davis – a full service hardware store with local ties, local commitment to our community.

Gold Country Advisors, a merger-and-acqusition advisory firm, represented the owner Jennifer Anderson in the transaction.

Mark Schulein and Matt Fales have come together with the Crown team to purchase our business. Mark has succeeded his father, Jeff, as President of Crown Hardware. They have been a family owned business since 1949. I have known Crown for decades. They are a professional, caring, family driven organization. Matt Fales, COO, is a Northern California native who attended University of Cal at Davis where he met his wife. They are truly excited to bring their experience back to Davis. Together with Crown they bring decades of retail experience and a great team of leaders to Davis. Our team will be given more opportunities to grow and expand their skills and knowledge. The Crown team are excited about growing too. They will have a total of 18 stores. They are committed to their communities and to the hardware industry. We know they will continue our traditions and build new ones in our community and for our employees.

Why sell? Why Crown? Our children, now in their 20’s, are firmly committed to their individual career directions. We love our business and have achieved the results we have with our incredible team of employees. We are deeply grateful to our employees. Our customers have been wonderful supporters for decades -through generations. We are so very very appreciative. We know this is the time for us to step aside and we wanted the right team to take over. Doby and I are not fully retiring. We will still be in the Davis community – committed to Davis Ace and Aggie Ace success through Crown. We still own other properties and investments.

The business names will remain, our general operations will remain. Our team is in place to continue to serve you and the Davis community. As we have changed over the years responding to the changing business opportunities-we are certain Crown will also be responsive and change as needed. We believe this is a GREAT future for Davis Ace and Aggie Ace.

We are planning on the final transition occurring in the middle of April. Thank you for your friendship, your support and your business. Please join us in giving a warm welcome to the Mark, Matt and the Crown team as we move forward.

Warm Regards,

Jennifer Anderson and Doby Fleeman