More than 75 Ace Hardware store owners from across the country came together Jan. 22 to give a fresh coat of paint to Washington Elementary, which is part of the San Diego Unified School District and located at 1789 State St. Led by Ace’s Home Expert Lou Manfredini, the volunteers used Ace’s Royal interior paint to brighten the walls of the school’s library and several administrative offices, and all of the paint and supplies were provided by siblings Pam and Harry Schwartz, owners of the Downtown Ace Hardware at 675 Sixth St. The paint project provided Ace an opportunity to give back to the San Diego community during its three-day annual conference dedicated to Ace store owners networking, learning new initiatives and sharing best practices on how to succeed at retail.