Ruth DeNault
Unwavering Mother, Philanthropist, and Matriarch of DeNault’s Hardware Stores
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By Haley Chi-Sing
eNault’s hardware stores have become a landmark business in the South Orange County area, with five stores (including San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano) and each one encompassing the neighborhood-friendly, round-the-cornerstore essence. Despite their unquestionable success and growth over the years, it is the woman behind the name that is responsible for the expansion of the business. Ruth DeNault, the matriarch of DeNault’s ACE Hardware Stores, has been at the helm of
the business since their opening in 1956 and continues to lead the company these many years later, all while balancing her family life, education, and philanthropic works. Originally from North Dakota, DeNault moved to Southern California in the early 1950s as a means of joining her husband, Jim DeNault, who had just recently been a soldier in the Korean War. Promptly after her husband’s Army years, the DeNault family settled in San Clemente with plans of growing a family in the seaside town. “We looked around for a good place to raise our family and decided that San Clemente was the place we would like to be,” said DeNault.
Shortly after moving to San Clemente, DeNault and her husband took it upon themselves to open their own hardware store after they had been in the business two years prior. In 1956, the family-owned business opened its doors for the very first time at the corner of Ola Vista and Del Mar in downtown San Clemente. “We started out as a diversified general store, because we had sporting goods, tricycles, bikes, dinnerware,” said DeNault. “Change has been constant.” DeNault’s own ventures have been accompanied by change, as well. DeNault decided to continue her higher education at Concordia University and earned her BA and MBA, all while managing DeNault’s stores. Already having had plenty of experience of her own in business administration, DeNault recalls having found her prior experience “extremely helpful,” as she went back to school, along with maintaining her hands-on approach in the family business. Despite all of the personal changes DeNault took on, one constant that remained
Hearing Better for a Better Quality of Life By Zach Cavanagh Muffling of speech, difficulty understanding words with background noise, trouble hearing over the phone or following conversations with two or more people talking, the need to have people repeat themselves, turning up the TV volume too loud, being unable to understand women and children when they speak. These are all symptoms of something that a majority of Americans will eventually suffer from: hearing loss. One-third of Americans between the ages of 65 and 75 have some hearing loss, according to the Mayo Clinic. That percentage increases to about one-half for those
The Capistrano Dispatch September 25-October 8, 2020
older than 75. Hearing loss doesn’t just affect the person whose hearing has suffered. Effects range to family, friends, colleagues and others as they navigate the issue and accommodate the person with hearing impairment or loss. But there are ways to make the situation better. There are two major types of hearing loss, both of which can be remedied to help you and others around you live a happier life. The first and easiest to deal with is conductive hearing loss, which is when sounds cannot reach the inner ear due to earwax, fluid or a punctured eardrum. This can be treated and managed.
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was DeNault’s Hardware’s friendly, reliable service. Known for their distinct welcoming feel, the hardware stores continued to provide individualized assistance to every and all customers who walked through their doors. “We keep up with what people are looking for, and we give them good, friendly service and knowledgeable people to help,” DeNault said. “[Customers] enjoy shopping at our stores and talking to people that they know.” However, one curveball the company’s president never saw coming was the dismantling effect that was the coronavirus pandemic. Considered an essential business starting in March of this year, DeNault’s ACE Hardware stores remained open all through the pandemic, providing supplies and hardware throughout the lockdown. “It’s been very good. Our stores have been extremely busy because people have time at home now to do projects in their home and in their yard. . . . It’s been a busy time for us,” said DeNault. To comply with CDC and statewide guidelines, all of DeNault’s stores have installed screens in front of cash registers, required customers and clerks to wear masks upon entering, and have maintained social distancing measures when interacting with individuals. While it has proven somewhat difficult in relation to showing customers certain products and items, DeNault’s stores have maintained their customer-first approach throughout the pandemic. “We really enjoy knowing our customers . . . it’s really a very friendly place. You come in, and we would have friendly people working for us, and people love to come in and have somebody to chat with about their projects,” said DeNault. Sixty-four years since they first opened their doors, DeNault’s Hardware has expanded as her four sons—and now, her grandchildren—have joined the business, and so has DeNault’s endless list of familial and community jobs. Along with her position at the family business, DeNault has served on San Clemente PTA boards, her sons’ Cub Scout groups, and as president of the Archeology Institute of America, Orange County branch. She is currently an e-board member of the Archeology Institute of America, President of the Cultural Center at Casa Romantica, member of the Foundation Board of Directors at Concordia University, and a Sunday School teacher.
The second, and the one that will require some hardware, is sensorineural hearing loss, which comes from innerear damage. This is the most common type of permanent hearing loss and where hearing aids come into play. There are also two main types of hearing aids. The cheaper and smaller hearing aids are simply amplification systems to make sounds louder. The more expensive and larger aids help distinguish sounds and make sounds crisper. If you are experiencing any symptoms linked to hearing loss, contact your doctor or one of several local hearing services and hearing aid centers.
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