Jules Pieri spoke at the 2018 Hardlines Conference
SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Ace Hardware has dismissed The Grommet co-founders Jules Pieri and Joanne Domeniconi, along with VP of Operations Jason McCarthy, almost three years after acquiring a majority stake in the e-commerce site. Rooted in the artisanal, DIY-based “Maker movement,” The Grommet is a platform for the sale and marketing of products developed by independent entrepreneurs.
Ace retained Pieri and Domeniconi when it acquired its stake in 2017 in a deal Forbes described at the time as “win-win for both parties.” In a blog post, Pieri wrote “Joanne and I are sad to abandon our Citizen Commerce mission and not see Grommet through to becoming a household name. But we feel nothing but a great deal of pride when we reflect on the hundreds of careers we shaped, the more than 3,000 small businesses we accelerated, and the thousands of jobs we created.”
