DENISON, Texas (KTEN) — An Ace Hardware and convenience store are now under construction at site of the former Kroger supermarket in the 800 block of West Crawford Street in Denison.

The city has been actively been recruiting a hardware store for some time.

Discussion of this multimillion-dollar project between the city and developers began in June 2019 — two months after Kroger closed its doors — but the COVID-19 pandemic led to a two-year delay. 

"We do community surveys pretty often on what people want," said Denison Development Alliance president Tony Kaai. "Hardware stores are at the top of the list for several years, and we have been trying to recruit an Ace Hardware store."

When Kroger decided to sell the building and its business to rival Albertsons, they placed a deed restriction on the property which prohibited any other grocery store from being built at the location. 

"By the time you get the inventory and finish out this building from the quality we want in Denison, you're talking several millions of dollars," Kaai said. "This building had to be totally demolished on interior, everything had to be gutted; HVAC and everything."

The proximity of the new store to the Denison's Main Street is a plus to the ongoing expansion.