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Ace Hardware’s 2026 Fall Convention in Orlando drew more than 14,500 attendees, 5.5% above the Fall 2023 convention in the city, according to Hardware Retailing. The publication’s Lindsey Thompson selected five products she believed could sell well at independent home improvement retailers; the picks are editorial recommendations, not reported sales results.
Ace Hardware’s 2026 Fall Convention brought more than 14,500 attendees to Orlando, up 5.5% from the last Fall Convention held there in 2023, Hardware Retailing reported. The publication’s editor and director of content development, Lindsey Thompson, also highlighted five products she thought could be best-sellers at independent home improvement stores, offering retailers a snapshot of merchandise showcased at the event.
The five picks span garden accessories, plant-care materials, outdoor recreation, emergency preparedness and party supplies. They are Spirit Stakes decorative plant stakes, Montana Gold hemp mulch mats, a 22-quart EVA foam cooler from FOAM, Midland’s ER10 emergency alert radio and a range of helium balloon products from Anagram Balloons. Hardware Retailing presented them as Thompson’s selections after browsing the convention floor; it did not report sales figures or say retailers had committed to carrying them.
Spirit Stakes are made in the United States from PureBond wood products, which the source describes as sustainably sourced. The laser-cut designs include logos from more than 100 colleges and 15 sororities and fraternities. The company offers acrylic and wooden stakes, garden and patio stakes, and cake and food toppers. According to the report, a portion of each purchase supports the school or organization represented.
Montana Gold’s hemp mats are marketed for saplings, garden beds and potted plants. The report describes them as an alternative to imported coconut fiber and synthetic weed barriers, and says they contain no microplastics or adhesives. FOAM’s cooler is made entirely from EVA foam and has a floating serving lid and a handle made with seat-belt webbing. Midland’s pocket-sized ER10 receives AM/FM and NOAA weather broadcasts. Anagram’s offering is a collection of balloon types, including latex, character, letter, number, phrase and shape designs.
Five Picks Across Store Categories
The products illustrate the range of merchandise an independent hardware retailer might consider beyond tools and building supplies. The picks include garden and plant-care items, a cooler aimed at outdoor trips, a radio for weather alerts and balloons for celebrations. For store owners, that mix points to possible ways to serve seasonal, local and everyday customer needs, though the article provides no evidence about expected demand or profit.
Some products also offer a distinct sales angle described by the report: Spirit Stakes connect designs to colleges and organizations, while Anagram’s balloons could give hardware stores another source for party supplies. Thompson said the balloon collection could fill a need in communities where nearby discount stores no longer carry balloons. That is her assessment, rather than a documented market-wide shortage.
The attendance figure gives the convention report a broader retail-industry peg. More than 14,500 people attended, a reported 5.5% increase against Fall 2023, when the event was last held in Orlando. The comparison is specific to those two Orlando fall conventions; it does not establish a trend across all Ace events.
Orlando Convention Comparison
The Fall Convention brought Ace Hardware attendees and vendors together in Orlando. Hardware Retailing characterized the 2026 gathering as having record-breaking attendance and said the crowd exceeded 14,500. Its stated comparison was the Fall 2023 convention in Orlando, the previous time the fall event took place in that city.
Thompson’s product list came from browsing the show floor, including the convention’s new vendors section. She noted that Montana Gold was attending an Ace Convention for the first time. The article does not present the five items as an official Ace product ranking, a selection by attendees, or a forecast backed by sales data; they are the editor’s picks.
“These caught my eye right away, especially since they had an Ohio University stake, my alma mater.”
— Lindsey Thompson, Hardware Retailing editor and director of content development, on Spirit Stakes
Retail Demand Still Unreported
Hardware Retailing did not provide sales data, retailer orders or pricing for the five products, so their commercial performance is not established by the report. Thompson’s view that they could be best-sellers is an editorial judgment based on the show-floor visit. The article also does not say how many Ace retailers plan to stock any of the items or whether products will be available across the chain.
The source does not give an exact convention date, attendance methodology or total attendance figures for other years. Its 5.5% comparison is limited to Fall 2023 in Orlando. It also does not quantify the share of Spirit Stakes purchases directed to schools and organizations, or provide independent testing of the product descriptions.
Retailers Decide What to Stock
The report identifies products that retailers may consider, but it does not announce a chain-wide rollout or a purchase decision by Ace. The next concrete step for individual store owners would be to review availability, pricing, terms and customer interest with the relevant vendors before deciding whether to stock the products.
Further reporting could establish whether the convention picks reach stores and how customers respond. The source does not name a publication date for sales updates or provide a schedule for the next Fall Convention.
Key Questions
How many people attended Ace Hardware’s 2026 Fall Convention?
More than 14,500 people attended in Orlando, according to Hardware Retailing. The publication described attendance as record-breaking.
What was the attendance comparison?
The report said attendance was 5.5% higher than at the Fall 2023 convention in Orlando, the last time the fall event was held there.
Which products did Hardware Retailing highlight?
Lindsey Thompson selected Spirit Stakes, Montana Gold hemp mulch mats, a FOAM EVA foam cooler, Midland’s ER10 emergency alert radio and Anagram helium balloon products.
Are these official Ace best-sellers?
No sales results were provided. The five products are Thompson’s editorial picks from the show floor, based on her view that they could sell well at independent home improvement stores.
Did Ace announce that its stores will carry the products?
The report does not say that Ace or its retailers have committed to carrying them. It gives no chain-wide availability or ordering details.
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