K&B Cash for Schools - Goal Achieved!

As we enter the tail end of 2023, we close the books on yet another successful “Cash for Schools” drive. This year, we raised over $30,000 for local schools due to the generosity of our customers and matching contributions from K&B Ace Hardware and our participating sponsors, Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits, Evolve Direct Primary Care, Eye on Annapolis, and Ledo Pizza.

K&B Ace Hardware Rolls Out Clean Energy Initiative (The Hardware Connection)

K&B Ace Hardware has become the first retail business in the city of Annapolis, Md., to become net-zero on electricity consumption. Owner Jared Littmann partnered with Solar Energy Services to install a 224-panel solar energy system that offsets 15 percent of the store’s annual electricity consumption.

K&B Ace Hardware, Evolve Direct Primary Care, and Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits Team Up for Our Schools

Many years ago, Jared Littmann realized that to be a true neighborhood store, he needed to give back. And Cash For Schools was born. The concept was simple. When a customer makes a purchase, they can donate a small amount to a designated school, and K&B Ace Hardware would match it up to $5000. Since its inception in 2009,  K&B Ace Hardware, its customers, and its partners have donated more than $95,000 to our local schools.

Solar power gaining fans (Bay Weekly / Chesapeake Bay Media)

Jared Littman, owner of K&B Hardware, is a lifelong environmentalist. He and his wife Marlene Niefeld purchased K&B Ace Hardware from her parents in 2008. In 2012, after installing their first solar panels, their electric bill dropped $6,000 annually. The new, larger system eliminates their electric bill completely, says Littman. “These (new) panels have already produced—in three months—double the amount of electricity that my home solar panel array has produced in two years,” he says.

K&B Ace Hardware and Solar Energy Systems partner for clean energy (Eye on Annapolis)

K&B Ace Hardware of Annapolis and Solar Energy Services of Millersville has commissioned what they believe is the first retail business in the City of Annapolis to become net-zero on electricity consumption. The 224-panel solar energy system, designed and installed by Solar Energy Services, Inc, will replace a 2012 installation that offset about 15% of the hardware store’s annual electricity consumption. Deciding to purchase this new system was a relatively easy decision for Jared Littmann, the owner of K&B Ace Hardware on Forest Drive in Annapolis.

Local Business Spotlight: SOFO (Eye on Annapolis podcast)

Back in 2013, a group of business owners got together and hatched a plan to work together to develop a business association for a section of Annapolis that was largely forgotten or passed by. From that meeting, SOuth of FOrest Drive was born! Now almost a decade later, they are stronger than ever and the organization along with their members have really become part of the community. Today we talk with three members of SOFO–Jennifer Balducci (President, and co-owner of One. Physical Therapy & Wellness), Jared Littmann (owner of K&B Ace Hardware), and Faye Currie (Branch Manager of Arundel Federal Savings Bank) to find out what SOFO and their businesses have been up to and what lies ahead.

Gardening for health (Bay Weekly / Chesapeake Bay Media)

You can enrich your soil, reduce the amount of fertilizer you need to add to your garden and reduce what goes into the landfills by composting your organic waste. If you are interested in buying ready-made compost and supporting an important regional nonprofit, Annapolis Green has announced its spring “secret sauce” compost sale, March 11-13. Buy it in 15-pound bags at K&B rue Value on Forest Drive in Annapolis for $10.

Best of Anne Arundel County 2022 (Capital Gazette)
Residents’ favorite people, places, and organizations, including K&B Ace Hardware as Best Hardware Store.

Maryland statewide plastic bag ban looks for support on Bay (Chesapeake Bay Magazine)

Jared Littmann, owner of K&B Ace Hardware in Annapolis and a member of Annapolis Green—a local nonprofit advocating for a healthy community and planet—made the switch from plastic bags to paper in early 2020.  “The response from our customers was very positive,” Littman says. “No complaints, if we used paper bags with handles, which are much more expensive than bags without handles. The paper bags without handles weren’t as popular.”

30 amazing local gifts for everyone on your list (Eye on Annapolis)

When you shop local, more money stays in our local economy; but more importantly, shopping local allows our locally-owned stores to remain viable in order to hire local employees. See how that works? With that said, here is a gift list for everyone on your holiday list. All local.