🎉 Week 2: Our Anniversary Celebration Continues!

FRAGER'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY Weekly Newsletter

Week Two | September 8-14

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New Frager's Swag

It wouldn't be a celebration without some swag to go with it! Limited edition 100 years stickers, tote bags, and adult and youth t-shirts now available in store while supplies last! Out of your size? No worries, our second order of shirts are on the way! Expected arrival September 18. For online orders, please allow 1-2 weeks for order processing. Shop Now

Cabot + Frager's Giveaway

Be one of 50 lucky winners to receive a $75 gift package from Cabot Creamery Cooperative & Frager's! No purchase necessary. This week's winners, announced below!

Enter To Win

Frager-Rama Shirt Contest

Take a photo (or send us one from the past!) of yourself wearing a Frager's shirt (your classic tee, or the new 100th Anniversary print) in a unique, iconic or interesting place- OR take a creative photo involving your Frager's t-shirt. The best photo submitted by October 4 will receive a $100 Frager's gift card! Submit Your Photo

Benjamin Moore Paint Giveaway

We're celebrating our 100th Anniversary with a paint giveaway! Two lucky winners will receive five (5) gallons of Benjamin Moore Aura paint (a $400 retail value). No purchase necessary; to enter to win, please fill out the form below. Entry closes on Wednesday September 30 at 11:59pm. Winners will be announced on October 2! Enter to Win

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Let the Celebration Begin!

While we have decided to postpone any in store events, we still wanted to do something for our neighbors in Capitol Hill to commemorate 100 years of Frager's history on the Hill- and to show our appreciation for all the amazing customers who have continued to support us for a century. We're celebrating every day in September with a new initiative to mark the occasion.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for daily updates, announcements, and additional features to the content below.

We want to hear from you!

Do you have a fond memory from shopping at our store? Has our team helped you solve an insolvable DIY puzzle? Remember any great experiences at our past events? Have you worked at Frager's as a sales associate?

We're partnering with local blog The Hill is Home to collect submissions to the prompt What does Frager's mean to you?, shared on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #FragersIsHome. You can also email your response to info@acehardwaredc.com.

Share your story.

Cabot Giveaway Winners Announced!

Here are the first 10 winners of our Cabot Cheese + Frager's giveaway

Week 1 Winners (Sep 1-7)

Sarah Yerkes • Timothy Tracy •Barb Flaherty • Maria Suescum • Mattito Watson • Patricia G Berg • Ann Mosee • Beverley Jeffries • James Papian • Jean Waskow • Robbie Curry • Margaret McCulloch

Congratulations to this week's winners!

Each week, we're shipping 10 lucky winners a prize package including a voucher for a free Frager's 100 years tote bag (pickup at Frager's), a $25 gift certificate to Frager's, and a selection of Cabot's finest cheeses. Congratulations to this week's winners- your prize package is on the way!

There's still 40 chances to win! Enter now.

The Frager's Six:

Get to know the team from the "original" Frager's on Penn Ave. SE

Favorite Frager's Memory: The outpouring of support from the Capitol Hill Community to the staff after the fire really meant a lot.

How has the store changed since your time at Frager's? Since re-opening in our new building, we've added a lot more locally-made products which is great that we've been able to feature local entrepreneurs and further support our community.

What do you like about working in Capitol Hill?

I love being part of an institution so rooted in the community. It's great to see so many familiar faces. In the Garden, in particular, I love working with folks year after year as they continue to develop their green thumbs.

Why do you like working at Frager's? The People. I've really enjoyed working with so many talented and interesting folks over the years. I love seeing such a diverse group come together for a common purpose. It's rewarding to help build a team where everyone's unique skills and personalities can contribute to achieving the store's goals of providing excellent service to our customers, creating a friendly environment, and ensuring the store is well-stocked to meet the needs of our customers. And where our staff is able to continue to grow and learn as they work toward achieving their own life goals.

There's never a dull moment. You can always grow and learn.

I love how the Garden Center evolves throughout the year, following the seasons. As winter ends, suddenly the Garden Center will come alive with flowers and shrubs and trees and tons of beautiful pottery. And it's three months of incredible activity. And then there's a lull in summer when attention shifts to keeping what's been planted alive through a DC summer and fighting mosquitoes and starting the summer harvest. But then in Fall, the heat breaks and the Garden is again full of plants...and pumpkins, so many pumpkins! The air gets crisp and before you know it, we've made room to fill the whole place with Christmas trees and greenery and Foliage transforms into a Winter Wonderland of holiday decor. And then in January and February we pause, reset, make improvements and the cycle starts again.

Kristin is as much a part of the team at Frager's as plants are a part of a garden. Her wealth of plant and gardening knowledge is invaluable to staff and customers- here's what she has to say about her decade.

Starting Position: Seasonal Garden Associate

Current Position: Garden Manager

Favorite Plant: You know I can't have favorites when I love all plants. However [around this time of year] I look forward to when we get] Solidago in. It's a native that is important for pollinators in late summer and fall. Plus it's tiny yellow flowers on arching flower spikes make it a dramatic showstopper in the Fall garden.

"The staff at Frager's has always been helpful and friendly. Our team takes a genuine interest in trying to help our customers solve their home and garden problems and projects. Whether it's fixing a leaky toilet, finding the right counter cleaner, installing book shelves, or selecting a shrub for a troublesome spot in the yard, we're going to ask questions and make sure customers have what they need...and if we don't have something, we'll bring it in if we can. And then we always try to make sure we have those things that you didn't even know you needed, like a No Poop yard sign shaped like a dog pooping, or a handmade bamboo cutting board, or even an 8' inflatable pool."

- Kristin

Next week's featured employee: Cary Caldwell

Giveaway Wednesdays:

Stop by Frager's for a free giveaway every Wednesday in September

Check back every Wednesday for a new giveaway!

This week's giveaway: World's Finest Chocolate Bars!

Since 2017, Frager's has sold more than 4,000 World's Finest chocolate bars to benefit local nonprofits in our community. This week, we're buying our customers 100 bars to build awareness around our World's Finest chocolate fundraising efforts- 100% profits from every bar purchased benefit local nonprofits in need. This year's beneficiaries are also the recipients of this month's "Frager's Fund" change round-up campaign.

Giveaway bars available while supplies last- or buy your own for $1 each to benefit our local Capitol Hill nonprofits.

Throwback Thursdays (#TBT)

Remembering the defining moments of Frager's Hardware's 100-year history

What we know:

1970's ➡️ University of Virginia college fraternity brothers and veterans John Weintraub and Ed Copenhaver search for a business opportunity. Initially, they planned to go into business together as a "side project", looking at print shops and other small business enterprises before considering Frager's. Read their oral history.

1975 ➡️ John and Ed purchase the 3,000 square foot hardware store from George and Julius Frager on August 5. The hammer price: $67,500 including the store's inventory, purchased under a 30 day trial period.

In their 40+ years as owners, the store expanded to include a paint store, rental company, and garden center, operating under the True Value Hardware business co-operative. Read more.

2000's ➡️ Frager's starts selling their iconic t-shirts. Today, the store sells about 300 shirts annually. Read an article from 2009

2003 ➡️ Frager's expands, moving their paint shop into the building next door at 1111 Penn Ave SE.

2006 ➡️ Frager's is used for a photo opportunity by then-President George W. Bush Jr, who stopped by to purchase dog treats for his Scottish terrier Barney.

2012 ➡️ Ed retires, while John continues to run the business. Read about Ed's legacy.

..check back next week for a look at Frager's history, 2013-2017: "The Phoenix Years"

Our Neighbors in Capitol Hill

Featuring nonprofits and businesses that define our community

There are so many wonderful nonprofits and small businesses in the Capitol Hill community - and they need our support now more than ever. This month, you can show your support by rounding up your change to the nearest whole dollar when you check out at Frager's. At the end of the month, we'll split the funds raised between the nonprofits we're celebrating as part of our 100th Anniversary. Each organization is also the beneficiary of a month long World's Finest chocolate bar campaign in 2020.

Learn more about these great nonprofits and businesses by following our celebration on Facebook and online at www.acehardwaredc.com/pages/fragers100th. Frager's will also add a $100 credit to each featured business' store account so they can stock up on essential business supplies.

This week's nonprofits

SMYAL:

There's no doubt about it: children are our future, and it's up to us to create safe spaces for them to explore their identity as they develop into young adults. SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders) strives to do just that, providing LGBTQ youth with an opportunity to build self confidence, develop life skills, meet and share ideas with peers, and creating programs and policies that advocate for social justice and change. Learn more.

Capitol Hill Restoration Society:

The stewards of our community's architectural and residential character, CHRS celebrates the homes and gardens that make Capitol Hill one of the most celebrated neighborhoods in the District. This year, their famous CHRS House Tour is going virtual with a free, 3-D, #StayAtHome House Tour September 12.

Learn more about this year's virtual house tour .

Living Classrooms: Living Classrooms Foundation opened an education and job training program on the edge of Capitol Hill in 2000, managing Capitol Hill’s wilderness area – Kingman and Heritage Islands— since 2007. They also have three other sites in the District: a 70-year old historic educational ship for students on the Anacostia; a vibrant community education and training center on Buzzard Point; and an overnight camp in Northern Virginia for DC students. Together, our DC programs impacted 7,665 people last year alone. In lieu of their many annual events that have been postponed for the year, Living Classrooms is asking for support through an "All Hands on Deck" fundraiser- learn more here.

This week's businesses

Bullfrog Bagels: Some days NEED to start with a bagel- and Bullfrog Bagels has made a name for itself on the Hill with bagels "hand rolled and boiled- the old fashioned way." Order online (pickup or delivery- who knew something so perfect could be dropped off at your doorstep?!) or stop by their to-go window. Try some of their famous pastrami (cured in house for 12 days) or house-smoked white fish and lox- in our experience there's nothing on the menu that will disappoint! Order by texting BULLFROG to 33733, or order online.

Ginkgo Gardens: We love visiting garden centers, and since 2000 our neighbors at Ginkgo Gardens offer a lovely selection of indoor and outdoor plants, pottery, and garden decor. Check them out.

Valor Brewpub: This bar, brewery, and restaurant on Barracks Row operates with a philanthropic mission to support and employee veterans. An inviting outdoor patio invites neighbors to enjoy thier rotating menu of more than a half dozen independently brewed craft beers and eats, with something for everyone- including their new "Capitol Hill Crab Shack" menu. Visit Valor.

Stay tuned: We're announcing an exciting partnership with Valor Brewpub later this week on Facebook, and will include it in next week's newsletter!

Our limited-edition 100 Years online shop is open!

Short sleeve tees

Available in heather grey and navy, adult and youth sizes (youth in navy only). Please allow 7-10 days for your order to be ready.

Order Now

"100 Years" canvas tote bag

Made of high quality canvas.

Order Now

Long sleeve tees

Heavy 5.3oz cotton tees available in heather grey and navy, adult sizes up to 2XL. Please allow 7-10 days for your order to be ready.

Order now

ENJOY $10 OFF

Redeem this coupon for $10 off your regular-priced purchase of $50 or more!

Not valid on sale items, nest, Yeti, ring, services, gift cards, or rental. Cannot be used with another discount. Valid September 8-14, 2020. Redeemable in store only at Frager's, one time use, one per customer.

CASHIER: use sku 10OFFD