ACO Stores Now Carrying 'Pure Michigan' Merchandise

Michigan’s largest independent hardware chain, , is now stocking its shelves with official Pure Michigan merchandise.  

According to an email release from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the company will be offering the Pure Michigan products in its 66 stories, as well as online.

The 8.5 million customers that shop at ACO each year will now find items including water bottles, baseball caps, t-shirts and sweatshirts sporting the Pure Michigan logo on display in the store.

ACO, which has been operating in the state for more than 60 years, has carried Michigan products for many years. Along with the Pure Michigan merchandise, ACO is expanding the selection of Michigan-made products the stores carry – including Faygo Pop, Sanders Fudge, Better Made and Great Lakes potato chips, Velvet Peanut Butter and Dearborn Brand sausage – and making it easier for customers to support these local companies when they shop.

“We really are the essence of a Michigan company,” said ACO President and Chief Operating Officer Dick Snyder. “We take great pride in supporting the Michigan suppliers we do business with and always look to them first.”

ACO was founded as the Traskos Brothers Hardware Depot in Dearborn in 1946. The company has expanded from six employees to more than 1,000 employees during that time and has made a commitment to community initiatives a priority.

Pure Michigan merchandise is also available online at the Pure Michigan store as well as more than 40 retailers from across the state. To find a retailer near you, visit the Pure Michigan store locator online.

Read a Q & A with Snyder and Janet Mahy, vice president merchandising, on the Pure Michigan blog.