east-fifth-location

Exterior view of our East Fifth St. location from the late 30’s.

McAuliffe’s was founded in 1920 by Jerry and John McAuliffe and has continuously operated in Marysville ever since.  The McAuliffe Brothers first location was a small shop on South Main that they rented for $9 a month, with the understanding that if they could remain in business for 11 months, the 12th month would be free.  In the early years, McAuliffe Bros. was primarily a plumbing & heating contractor, with John McAuliffe running the sales and Jerry McAuliffe managing the installations.  John remained with the company until his death in 1957.  Jerry was active in the company until his retirement in the late 1960’s.  Neither Jerry nor John had any children, but in 1947 they invited their nephew, Larry Fitzgerald into the company.  Larry was responsible for transforming the company into a retail hardware operation and moving the company location to North Main St. where McAuliffe’s served the Marysville community from 1964 to 1995.

McAuliffe’s was subsequently managed by a third generation of owners, Larry’s sons Dan and Jim.  In 1995 Dan and Jim Fitzgerald moved McAuliffe’s to its present location on West Fifth St.  From there the brothers operated McAuliffe’s Ace Hardware and McAuliffe’s Industrial.  McAuliffe’s Industrial was eventually spun off and sold in 2020.

McAuliffe’s Ace Hardware is now entirely owned by Dan Fitzgerald and his son Sean Fitzgerald.  We offer a large inventory of hardware, tools, plumbing, electrical and paint products.  We also feature a large gift and seasonal selection as well as a complete lawn & garden and outdoor nursery.  To help you complete all your projects, McAuliffe’s has a full rental department with everything from tools to tents.  At McAuliffe’s we like to think that we are more than your average hardware store.

History

Several of our full time employees are shown here celebrating the 65th company anniversary in 1985.

Though McAuliffe’s has continued to evolve for the past 103 years, the one consistent feature of the company has been amazing employees.  McAuliffe’s has enjoyed a core group of good people who have worked for the company for many years.  While one employee stayed with us for 52 years before his retirement, several have been with the company for well over a decade. We feel that this type of loyalty by so many of our associates is a big reason why we are able to be the most helpful place in town.  We know that our best asset is helpful employees, so we do our best to keep good people working for us who care about our customers.  We also understand that one of our strengths is the ability to quickly respond to local needs.  Having local owners who are involved in the everyday management of the store enables us to do just that.

We have always felt that by living in Marysville and making our business decisions locally, we can better serve the Marysville Community.  We survive and thrive by focusing on three things.  Service, Convenience, Quality.  Stop in today and see these core qualities in action.

Company Photo
95th Anniversary Company Photo in 2015

Actual 1930’s video of McAuliffe’s in historic uptown Marysville, Ohio.