The Hartville Thrift Shoppe now owns the entire center in which it operates and is reconfiguring the space to better suit its needs.
Executive Director Phil Stauffer said the store at 938 W. Maple St. has grown over the years — evidenced by a nearly packed parking lot and bustling store on a recent Monday morning. The agency purchased the northeast portion of the property, which is split into four commercial units, from GentleBrook in April.
Initially, GentleBrook owned three of the four units. Now that the thrift shop owns all four, Stauffer said, walls will soon be removed to connect the store to the adjacent Front Porch Cafe. A room between the two, formerly used by GentleBrook, is full of bookshelves awaiting the thrift shop’s literature section.
“We hope to design the space so there’s easy access between the café and the thrift shop and there’s some synergies between the two organizations,” Stauffer said.
The nonprofit plans to move its production area, where staff members sort and price donations, to its on-site warehouse, which will have heating, ventilation and air conditioning installed in the future. The warehouse storage will be moved to an outbuilding and, sometime next year, that will allow the thrift shop to open the current staff parking area for additional customer parking.
“It won’t gain a whole lot of space, but it’ll enable us to create more customer parking,” Stauffer said.
He considers the partnership with GentleBrook to have been a blessing as their growth has aligned. The thrift shop and cafe, which is operated by a third party, employ GentleBrook clients.
GentleBrook serves people with developmental disabilities and operates residential services, adult day programs and other initiatives. The nonprofit, in collaboration with the thrift shop, purchased the former Hartville Hardware center southwest of West Maple Street and Milan Avenue SW in 2012.
The change in the center’s ownership will not affect GentleBrook, the Lake Township FISH pantry, and the Front Porch Cafe operations there, GentleBrook CEO Norm Wengerd said.
“As time went on and the thrift shop grew and needed more space, Gentlebrook had some other opportunities to move some of our programs and provide the space for the thrift shop to acquire those condominium units back from Gentlebrook so they could continue to grow and meet the needs that they have for their ministries there,” Wengerd said.
GentleBrook has purchased other properties in recent years, including the former Greentown Intermediate School at 3330 State St. NW in Lake Township. Wengerd said the nonprofit has been exploring potential uses and partners for the building since buying it in the fall of 2024.
“We think that there’s a good opportunity there to create a bit of a hub to bring the community together and be able to provide some additional services there right in the Greentown community,” he said.
GentleBrook plans to host an open house at the former school sometime in July.
Grand opening celebrations
The Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce in May hosted several grand openings and ribbon cuttings in coordination with area businesses. They include:
Additional businesses also planned grand openings in June:
Williams Toyota Lift receives Toyota honor
Williams Toyota Lift, a forklift dealership based in East Sparta with a 12-county service area, recently received Toyota Material Handling’s President’s Award at a dealer meeting in Florida.
The award recognizes the top 15 Toyota forklift dealers in North America for “excellence in parts, service, equipment sales, finance, customer satisfaction and overall operations,” according to a news release.
“We are incredibly honored to receive this award,” Andrew Williams, owner and dealer principal of Williams Toyota Lift, said in a prepared statement.
The family-owned business also received two other Toyota honors. The dealership received the Sales Excellence Award, and Dianne Williams received the Marketing Manager of the Year Award.
Kenan Advantage Group acquires Fisher Transport
Kenan Advantage Group Canada, a subsidiary of the Jackson Township-based transportation and logistics company, has acquired Fisher Transport Inc.
Fisher Transport is a Nova Scotia-based company that specializes in liquid bulk transportation and the hauling of food-grade products, chemicals and non-food grade bulk commodities. The company is the largest milk transporter in Atlantic Canada, moving more than 200 million liters of raw milk a year.
“I am pleased the Fisher team will join KAG Canada, who share the same values, commitment to customer service and recognition of our specialized team who have been instrumental in achieving our success,” Fisher Transport CEO Ken MacDonald said in a prepared statement.
KAG Canada will take on 60 professional drivers and 15 operational and administrative staff members, according to the announcement. The company’s fleet will grow by 60 tractors and 70 specialized trailers.
“When we were provided with the opportunity to partner with the Fisher team, we immediately knew it would be a great fit for KAG,” Grant Mitchell, president and chief operating officer of the Kenan Advantage Group, said in a prepared statement. “Together our team will execute this strategic journey of offering coast-to-coast bulk transportation services to all of our customers.”
Metallus names COO, CFO
Metallus, the Canton-based steel and specialty metals manufacturer, recently promoted Kristopher R. Westbrooks to the newly created role of president and chief operating officer.
Westbrooks has been the company’s chief financial officer since September 2018.
“Over the past seven years, Kris has played an instrumental role in our company’s growth, consistently providing outstanding leadership and strategic guidance,” Metallus CEO Mike Williams said in a prepared statement. “His ability to build high-performing teams, combined with his expertise in financial strategy and deep understanding of our business, has strengthened our balance sheet — enhancing our flexibility to drive growth and navigate economic challenges.”
John M. Zaranec was also appointed as executive vice president and chief financial officer. He most recently was the division chief financial officer at Materion Corp.
“We are excited to welcome John to Metallus,” Williams said. “With extensive expertise in driving company performance and strategy as a financial business partner, as well as engaging with investors, financial planning, forecasting, and team development, we are confident he will play a key role in our continued success.
Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323 or kelly.byer@cantonrep.com
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Hartville Thrift Shoppe takes full ownership of center, making renovations
Reporting by Kelly Byer, Canton Repository / The Repository
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