CENTERBURG — With the first day of Centerburg’s Holiday Shop Hop complete, local business owners are urging folks to come out and support the places in their backyard for the holiday season.
The first day of the event ran from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, with a second day kicking off on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ten local businesses are spreading holiday cheer, and four business owners shared how important this weekend is to them and their storefronts.
More Space at Your Place
Now located under a new roof, Katie Hux owns More Space at Your Place, where she sells apparel, handcrafted goods and trail souvenirs to those who stop in.
Hux organized the Shop Hop “to bring the community together and also to encourage the community to support local.”
About three weeks ago, Hux moved her business from Main Street to 108 N. Hartford Ave. Unit C. She said it has been challenging letting the community know where she is located.
Hux said the idea behind the Shop Hop is not only to generate more sales at local businesses, but also to flat-out let folks know where these businesses are.
“For me to move off Main Street to this location on a side street has been very challenging because a lot of my customers were people passing through, which I don’t get on a side street,” Hux said. “But, my attraction to this location is the trail.”
Less than five steps from Hux’s parking lot is the Ohio to Erie Trail. Retired from the Knox County Park District, Hux believes she has tapped into a new market.
“I’m very familiar with the trail, and I wanted to be here to offer something to the cyclists,” Hux said. “They ride 326 miles from Cleveland to Cincinnati, so I’d like to have something in my shop, like a candy bar or a cold drink, to help them on their trip.”
Below are photos from inside Hux’s More Space at Your Place. Credit: Jack Slemenda
Rosie’s Rest Stop
Passing through a small hallway in More Space at Your Place, you’ll find Kilbourne native and Centerburg resident Maddie “Rosie” Himes’ sandwich and smoothie shop, Rosie’s Rest Stop.
Opening her shop this past May, Himes echoed Hux’s thoughts on letting folks know where she is through the Shop Hop.
“I’m really excited to meet a bunch of new faces while continuing to get my name and my food out there to a bunch of new people. And I love Christmas, so it’s good in the holiday season,” she said.
“I think the more that I can connect with and establish myself with people who live around here year round, the better.”
Below are photos from inside Himes’ Rosie’s Rest Stop, including her upstairs loft seating area. Credit: Jack Slemenda
Ampersand Candles and Oils
Shop hopping back to Main Street, you’ll find Michelle Johnson’s Ampersand Candles and Oils, where she sells farm-grown premade, but also custom, candles, essential oils, colognes and perfumes.
In line with the other local businesses, Johnson’s storefront is newer to the village as well. She is just happy to be spreading the word about her store.
“I used to be located in Delaware [Ohio] and we would do this every third Friday. It really helped get the word out about our business and that we’re open, and we’re here to serve the community, so that was something I was really excited for at the last place,” Johnson said.
“So, when Katie announced that we were going to be doing it, I was really excited. We just moved back here in September, so to be able to just serve our community and be able to tell people that we are open for the holidays and everything it’s really exciting to see.”
While this is Johnson’s fifth year owning and operating her store, this is her first Shop Hop. She noted how social media can be a tricky place to reach people.
“So many people post in the Facebook groups every single day, so you can’t always see everything that is going on,” Johnson said.
Being able to have events that are being posted and being shared, it’s a lot easier to get the word out. Even just having people know that we’re open, even if they can’t make it, knowing that we exist, I think is really important.
Michelle johnson, owner of ampersand Candles and oils
Below are a few photos from inside Johnson’s Ampersand Candles and Oils store. Credit: Jack Slemenda
Marci’s Gifts
About a five-minute drive to the outskirts of Centerburg at 3265 Barnes Road sits Ginny Humphreys’ Marci’s Gifts. It honors her late sister, Marci, “the gift giver.”
In her seventh year of owning the shop, Humphreys noted the close-knit relationships among Centerburg’s business owners.
“I think it’s important that we show that we can work together, all of the owners of the buildings,” Johnson said. “I think that we have a relationship that’s very important to the community, since we are the people that represent them.”
Operating her shop as a retiree, Johnson called the endeavor more a labor of love than a labor of need.
“I don’t think that we’re exceeding sales this year, but I have this store and the two barns that go with it. I have a lot of different things and unique things, one-of-a-kind things. It’s very eclectic,” Johnson said.
“And it’s a place where even if you’re not shopping to purchase, you’re shopping and seeing things that you may have seen as a child, you may not even recognize what they are. They make you want to ask, ‘What is this?’ I think that’s kind of fun.”
Below are a few photos that show the inside and outside of Humphreys’ Marci’s Gifts. Credit: Jack Slemenda
