By Jodi Schwan

The final phase of opening a hardware store isn’t exactly a fast one.

But that’s the stage they’re at with the new downtown Nyberg’s Ace Hardware.

“It’s 45,000 different items, so we’re putting all this merchandise away and it takes time,” owner Kevin Nyberg said. “We’ve only been stocking for two weeks, so we’re doing very well. There’s about 12 team members working on it, and we’re rolling really well.”

Renovations to the former Sid’s Crown Liquor and Texaco buildings at 330 S. First Ave. are more than 95 percent done, he added.

“There’s not much left to be done, and I’m pleased with the way it turned out,” he said. “People have been very excited, and I’m not going to give all our surprises away, but we tried to keep a lot of history intact with both buildings — the Sid’s building and the Texaco building — and there will be other highlights people will enjoy seeing when we open.”

The plan is to open the third or fourth week in July.

Hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.