Bill Millikin’s got a lot going on.

When he bought the building at 101 E. Main St. in Mascoutah in 2014, his original idea was to renovate it and create office space. But when Ace Hardware did an analysis of the local market and thought a hardware store would do well at the site, Millikin changed course.

Millikin said it was a challenge renovating the building that’s more than 100 years old, but it was more fun than building a plain-Jane box-type building on the outskirts of town.