FEATURED STORY FROM THE Best of BG – 2012 ISSUE
Ben Franklin:
Old School Business With A Competitive Edge
Ben Franklin is the place to go for any and all craft supplies, framing needs and candy cravings. Located on Main Street, Ben Franklin is a 13,000 square foot craft store owned and managed by Floyd Craft, a man who has been in the business for over 35 years.
Craft opened Ben Franklin in 1976 as a five and dime store, selling everything from drapes and lingerie to fabric. It has been a family-owned business ever since, with a lot of long-time loyal employees, something that is not as common in the downtown business district as it once was. One woman recently retired from Ben Franklin who worked there since the day of its opening. Two other employees, Tamy and Steve, have been working there for 25 and 26 years, respectively.
The Craft family business concept extends beyond Ben Franklin though. Craft’s daughter, Amy, owns the store For Keeps downtown as well. It is more of a boutique, which sells items such as the Vera Bradley brand, stationary and jewelry.
Craft has three daughters, two of which graduated from BGSU. Amy decided to continue the family business, and now runs and orders everything at For Keeps.
Craft also owns Ace Hardware, located on Main Street.
“It is easy to work together when you are working as a family. If a customer is not able to find what they need at one of our stores, we call one of our other stores to see if the item or product they are looking for is somewhere else,” says Craft.
According to Craft, Ben Franklin’s is a magnet for older clientele simply because of the name of the store and the nostalgia.
“We used to do big back-to-school business, but once the big-box stores opened, such as Wal-Mart and Meijer, we lost some of that business,” Craft says.
The store has changed many times since it first opened, changing the store into a craft business in the late 1980s. But with increasing craft competition from other stores, Ben Franklin recently expanded into fabrics, yarns and candy to keep its competitive edge.
“We try to change in order to better suit what the customer needs. Since we are independently owned, we are very flexible and therefore able to change whenever something isn’t working for us,” says Craft.
A very successful part of Craft’s business comes from the Ben Franklin frame shop, which according to Craft is the best in Northwest Ohio. All frame jobs can be completed within one day or less, if needed
“We are unique in several ways. Our candy selection is the best in town and one of the reasons why students come in. We sell a lot of macaroon caramel corn and hard candies,” Craft says. “Students also come in for our party supplies. Stationary and office supplies are also common items for students to come in and buy as well. We have a lot of good quality items.”
The newest addition to Ben Franklin is the attached yarn and fabric shop called The Busy Thimble.
“We love having students’ business. It is great to have them come in. We give them the same customer service that we give any of our other customers,” saiys Craft. “All of our employees are very helpful and will answer questions anyone may have.”
