Bluffton experienced many business changes in 2019. The following is a monthly review of business changes in the community over the past year as reported in the Icon.
January
Gulf Coast Accounting moved from 141 N. Main St. to the rear of 103 N. Main St, following the purchase of the 103 N. Main St. building by Bill and Chris Gable of Lone Palm Real Estate, LLC.
Rachel Davis, owner of Studio Silhouette, announced her business was expanding into the former Bluffton Barbers space in the front of 103 N. Main St. That expansion involved relocating the alteration and sewing area and tux rental from the rear of the shop to the front. Studio Silhouette is a dress boutique, tux rental and sewing shop. The sewing-alteration portion of the business includes everything from zipper replacement to custom sewing of casual and formal alterations, (bridal wear), and home decor (including curtain hemming).
Faith Investment Service moved from 122 N. Main St., to 101 N. Main St., Suite B, located in the rear of the building. The main entrance for Faith Investments is on Church Street. Its phone number is 419-358-4207 and web address is: www.myfaithinvestments.com.
(In December 2018, RealLiving CCR Realtors, Lisa Wenger, agent, relocated from Tommy Tire Plaza into the former Faith Investment Service office at 122 N. Main St.)
February
Bluffton's Mexican restaurant, Campito Lindo, at 142 N. Main St., celebrated its second year in business on Feb. 2, according to Rosalia Banales, co-owner. Her co-owner partner is Enrique Cabrera.
Bluffton Paving, Inc., purchased the assets of Lima paving staple, Fritchie Asphalt & Paving Co., effective Jan. 16. The purchase added 10 professional paving employees, providing paving services to Lima and surrounding communities.
The parent company, The Gerken Company of Napoleon, purchased the assets of M&R Redi-Mix, Inc. of Pettisville, Ohio.
Eric Faulkner was named president of Citizens National Bank by its board of directors in an announcement made Feb. 19. He is only the fifth person to serve as bank president since the bank opened nearly 100 years ago.
With offices in Bluffton, Celina, Defiance, Elida, Findlay, Lima, Springfield, Van Wert and Toledo, Citizens National Bank has assets totalling more than $840 million and has served the communities of West Central Ohio since 1920.
March
Kevin and Julie Tuttle became the new owners of Bluffton Dari Freeze, 595 S. Main St. The Tuttles purchased Bluffton’s favorite summer hangout earlier last year from Billy and Phyllis Marchal. The business, selling soft serve and hand-dipped ice creams, in its all varieties, has a new phone number: 567-226-1008.
The Bluffton Stone Company, the asphalt production plant in the quarry, is owned by Gerken Materials, Inc., which celebrates 60 years of business as of March 2019.
Gallery 323 announced its new hours (Thursdays noon to 4 p.m., Fridays noon to 4 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) The gallery features more than a dozen local artists with works in painting, ceramics, fiber art, jewelry, glass, photography and handmade cards. The gallery is located at 323 N. Main St.
Main Street Bluffton’s oldest continually-operating business changed hands on March 29. Jeff Kantner sold Family True Value Hardware, 109 N. Main St., to Jim Basinger of Basinger Plumbing and Heating, located at 3090 Road R, Pandora. The business will remain a hardware store and the business name will continue as Family True Value Hardware, according to Basinger.
April
Boutique 415 turned 4 years old in April, according to Joan Frederick, boutique owner. The shop, located at 415 N. Main St. celebrates with a month-long sale.
Paula Scott was announced as director of Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs at the April 12 Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting.
Doty’s Auto Repair and Alignment, opened in 1983 by Tom Doty, became Doty’s Auto Repair and Wheel Alignment, LLC, owned and operated by Tom’s son, Mike on May 1. This is a new second-generation business in Bluffton. “The business will continue offering all the repair and wheel alignment services and great customer service we’ve always offered,” said Mike.
First National Bank celebrated its 100th year in business by giving two $500 donations to two Bluffton non-profit organizations: Bluffton Child Development Center and Weekday Release Program, also known at weekday Christian education.
May
Wonderfully Made Boutique store, at 101 N. Main St. closed its doors after less than a year of business. The clothing shop was a branch of the Wonderfully Made Boutique in Wapakoneta, owned by Meg Opperman.
Greenhorn, a new Bluffton restaurant at 112 Vine St., – formerly Bystillwaters Bistro – held a soft opening on May 18, with all-you-can-eat sweets and a concert by its very own house band. Greenhorn serves vegetarian, vegan and Mediterranean fare cooked up by Jonah Agner, BHS class of 2000, and co-owner of The Food Store. The restaurant is currently open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
You can no longer buy a whopper in Bluffton, with the closure of Burger King at 499 State Route 103, on May 5.
May marked the 30th year anniversary for Bluffton Paving, Inc., and 30 years that the Gerken family has owned and operated The Bluffton Stone Company. The asphalt production plant in the quarry is actually owned by Gerken Materials, Inc., which celebrates 60 years in March.
June
Bluffton Pediatrics moved to its new location at 122 N. Jackson St., across from the elementary school, holding a grand opening on June 14. Owner Beth Bish, APRN-CNP, nurse practitioner, (along with her husband Jeff) bought the former Robert Neff and Associates, architect offices.
Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs (BCE) held a reunion on June 20 at the Mason Jar at Bluffton Golf Club to celebrate its more than 10 years in business, according to Paula Scott, director.
Northwest Physical Therapy, located inside Bluffton Family Recreation, 215 Snider Road, gained a clinician on staff who is newly certified in Astym treatment, a new therapy developed to target the cause of the pain rather than just the symptoms, according to Dan Settlage.
"Astym treatment is unmatched in its ability to resolve tendinopathies, plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, Achilles and patellar tendonitis, scar tissue problems, and other soft tissue dysfunctions,” said Settlage.
Gary Reese and Kathi Dunlap were invited as featured speakers at the cfd Investments Spring Conference, an independent Broker/Dealer, in Kokomo, Indiana. Gary Reese owns Faith Investment Services at 101 N. Main Street, Suite B (rear), Bluffton, and has been in business independently since 2003. Kathi Dunlap has been serving the firm since 2008 as business consultant and registered assistant.
Jared Caprella of Lima, was named Bluffton's new postmaster. His position officially started on June 22, however, he has been officer in charge (OIC) since February 2019.
July
Dr. Cheri Diller, M.D., joined the medical practice of Bluffton Family Practice, (Dr. Hotmire), 582 Harmon Road, Bluffton. She is accepting new patients. Call 419-369-4804 for an appointment.
The Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recognized First National Bank for its 100 years of service in banking.
“It all started back in 1919 with a group of 30 individuals who believed a bank was needed in the small village of Pandora." said Todd Mason, president and CEO of First National Bank. "Now all these years later we still pride ourselves on being independently owned and still serving the needs of our local communities throughout northwest and west central Ohio.”
Wessler Engineering celebrated its new expanded office in Bluffton with a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house on July 18. Wessler Engineering is a civil and environmental engineering firm that specializes in wastewater, drinking water, and storm water projects, providing services ranging from master planning and design to construction administration and process energy audits. The new office is located at 80 State Route 103 and is part of a new office development near I-75 at exit 140.
Spectrum Salon, 422 N. Main St., celebrated its 5th anniversary with an open house on July 19, according to Mandy Kinn, owner. Spectrum offers hair and nail services, body sugaring, massages, makeup and facials to pamper you from head to toe.
August
Melinda Bowden's PromoHits, Bluffton promotional products company, donated 5% of its total product sales from January-June 2019 to four local charities.
The initiative, called PromoCares, raised $17,565.14 through June 30. When purchasing promotional products from PromoHits, customers designated which charity they wanted to support.
Four charities received proceeds from January to June (proceeds in parentheses):
• Bluffton Community Assistance Program - $1,352.36
• Crime Victim Services - $4,848.29
• Hope House - $7,178.57
• St. Paul’s Community Center - $4,185.92
September
Et Cetera Shop reopened at 327 N. Main - in the former Peerless Glove Factory - with an official grand opening and ribbon cutting on Sept. 7. Bluffton’s iconic Et Cetera Shop has been open for 42 years. The store closed for one week, while the merchandise moved from 111 S. Main St. to the greatly-expanded location at 327 N. Main St.
November
Village Cut ‘N Curl, 212 Cherry St., Bluffton, now has three owners, according to Lynda Best.
The three are Best, Lori Steffen and Janis Badertscher. While the Cut 'N Curl closed for remodeling from flooding in May, Lynda worked with Janis and Lori’s salon at Hair Quarters for three months. According to Best, after working so well during that period, the three decided to become partners at the newly remodeled Village Cut 'N Curl, which had a grand reopening on Nov. 3.
The Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) has welcomed over 14 new members in 2019. “While the majority of our members are based in Bluffton, we have very active members from other communities including Arlington, Findlay, Lima, Ottawa and Pandora.”
Book ReViews at 123 S. Main St., had a revamp of its store, stock and window displays, in time for the Blaze of Lights. In addition to reorganizing the shop, and revamping pricing, the used book store hired a new store manager, Peggy Brown. Brown is also manager of Ten Thousand Villages, 115 S. Main St.
Roots by Strattons, a satellite of Stratton Greenhouses, opened Thanksgiving week in the former Et Cetera Shop, 111 S. Main St. Roots, owned by Susie and Steve Stratton, has lots of items related to plants, trees and bird and gifts. They also plan to expand into the alley between their store and Edward Jones. “We plan to turn the alley into a ‘charming respite’ with tables and chairs for coffee drinkers. We’ll also have hanging baskets in the alley,” said Susie.
Bluffton Karate Studio closed its doors at the end of November, after nearly 15 years in business on Main Street.
December
Jason and Tammy Kinsinger purchased Vetter Lumber of Bluffton and Ft. Jennings. Vetter Lumber provides hardware, plumbing, garage doors, and housing material including drywall, treated lumber, siding, shingles and electrical supplies. "We plan to add additional lines to the lumber yard, including custom-made kitchen cabinets, Amish-made furniture and poly-outdoor furniture," said Kinsinger.
Jason and Tammy are both Pandora-Gilboa High School graduates. They have four children, Jacob, Aubrey, Kaylee and Ty, and live at 16570 Road 2, Pandora.
