RIBBON CUTTING The ceremonial ribbon was cut at the Pennycrest Floral Shop The shops owners were joined by village officials and Archbold Chamber of Commerce representatives during the event that celebrated the shops relocation
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
Archbold’s Pennycrest Floral celebrated their ribbon cutting with the Archbold Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, December 14th.
Many who live near the area may already know the Pennycrest name, with the store previously being located at 220 North Defiance Street.
Just a short walk down the street will bring you to the store’s new location in the old Rupp Furniture building at 203 North Defiance Street.
The move has been a long time in the making, with plans being put into motion at least as far back as early 2022. The owners have faced numerous challenges with their move, with each of them being handled as well as possible.
One such challenge took place when an electric pole came crashing down into the building during the construction of the newly built Circle K.
Work was being done on the lines by the building, which led to wires being cut. The pole itself was rotted and fell once the wires were no longer holding it up.
This also caused issues with the transformers on the pole, which led to signs being burnt off of the back of the building, and building wiring being burnt up.
Shortly thereafter, a major rain event took place which flooded the basement and with it, all of the expensive tools and equipment that were brought over to start renovation efforts.
Issues also came to light when owners tried to move their existing cooler from the old building to the new one.
The cooler was too large for the building, which led to concrete being ripped out from where the cooler was to be located.
Issues also arose when owners tried to move the cooler. With it being a specialty item and so large in size, it was hard to find a company capable of doing the work.
However, everything did work out and the new building is open. Owners Tobey Wendorf and Jodi Repp run the shop that features much more than a typical floral shop.
The Mennonite Pantry and the Pop Shop are two examples of what is available with items like bulk candies, chocolate covered raisins, peanuts, pretzels, Oreos, caramel clusters and more. Original items carried by the Pop Shop years ago are also available in shop.
Additionally, the store also offers in-house engravings which can be done on almost anything. Refurbished furniture is also available that the employees themselves work on to fix up by painting and repurposing.
The building also offers its new owners a much larger space compared to what they were working with before. A bigger space may be a slight understatement.
The upgrade gives the store an additional 21,000 square feet compared to their previous location. Wendorf explained that this helps immensely with their backroom and expansion plans. The current plan is for the second floor to be used as a state-certified kitchen for the Mennonite Pantry and Pop Shop portion of the business.
The third floor will also be open for customers to use the space for photography sessions and selfies. Plans are also in the works to open a café inside next year in 2024.
With all of the challenges faced, Wendorf explained that they are happy to finally be open. “I am truly excited and blessed to be in here.”
“Everyone has been wonderful and has supported us. We are glad to be here with lots of new things happening now and coming later,” said Wendorf.
