Damaine Vonada
Large windows inside Howard Miller’s office give him a prime view of Hartville Hardware’s main floor; he often leaves his desk to watch folks navigating his store.
Down on the sales floor, shoppers might run across anything from a bright green John Deere Gator to a hot pink, Lil’ Pig Traeger grill. From time to time, someone looks up, spots Miller at the window, and waves. Miller always eagerly waves back. “I grew up with so many people that work and shop here,” he says.
The highlight of February’s Winterfest in Perrysburg will be the U.S. National Ice Carving Championship, but Chad Hartson, who owns one of the nation’s largest ice-sculpting companies — Ice Creations in Napoleon — and is himself a former world champion, won’t be a contender. “The National Ice Carving Association (NICA) sanctions the event,” explains Hartson. “Since I’m president of its board and helping organize the championship, I can’t be competing too.”
When general manager Cory Hoops gives tours of the Universal Lettering Company’s Van Wert facility to FFA members, it’s often an eye-opening experience for them. “I remember this schoolgirl telling us she had no idea that so much labor goes into producing FFA jackets,” says Hoops. “She was excited and amazed to see how hers was made.”
When people visit a museum, its gift shop is usually the last thing they see. During the holidays, however, museum stores should be your first destination for gift ideas. These very special stores reflect the collections of their parent institutions, and they carry a wide range of items — regional publications, landmark photos, works by local artists, tasteful toys, and elegant accessories — that are sure to inspire, surprise, and delight everyone on your list. Here are some of our favorites.
Whenever Cyclone Hobbies manager Kyle Belman fires up a mini-drone, Harley, the shop’s friendly Yorkshire Terrier, immediately jumps to her feet. As soon as the drone is airborne, Harley gives chase, excitedly scampering after the radio-controlled (RC) vehicle as he deftly maneuvers it around the shop. “Harley gets a lot more exercise chasing drones than she ever gets running after a ball,” says Belman.
While Holmes County historians have ascertained that the hamlet of Charm began in the 1840s when a blacksmith shop opened along an old Indian trail near Doughty Creek, no one knows for sure how Charm got its unusual name. Other businesses gradually joined the blacksmith shop, and by the 1860s, a community had evolved that locals called Stevenson, apparently because Stephen Yoder and his son farmed the land there. When Stevenson’s citizens applied for a post office in the 1880s, the postal department asked them to choose an official name. They picked Charm. Why?
If you have any doubt about how much roofing and siding affect your home’s appearance, ask some kindergartners to draw a house. They always delineate the roof and exterior walls first, then complete the picture with doors, windows, and a big smiling sun. That’s a real lesson in the basics of rejuvenating a house. “Get the right combination of exterior products, and you’ll turn an average-looking house into something stunning,” says CertainTeed Corporation spokesperson Mike Loughery.
There’s no doubt about it. Paint is one of the quickest and least expensive ways to punch up your home’s curb appeal. A fresh coat of paint transforms shutters from drab to fab, and if you want to give your house a totally new look, painting the outside a different color costs far less than removing and replacing siding or other exterior materials.
Since the Sherwin-Williams and Glidden® companies are leading paint producers, we asked their experts about using paint to make your home the belle of the block. Here are six of their top tips:
