Hamilton company celebrating 100th anniversary: This is its tale

“It’s super interesting,” Grollmus stated. “It’s kind of surreal, really,” primarily, she said, supplied all the difficult situations the corporation has survived.

Her wonderful-grandfarther, Al Huesman launched the small business in 1921 on A Avenue in Hamilton. It began as a chicken-seed vendor, in the beginning for household pets this kind of as parakeets and canaries. Later, they extra food for outdoor birds. Joe Huber was a companion initially, (the other name in Al-Joe’s), but he remaining to get the job done in factories throughout WWII, said Grollmus.

The organization moved a couple of periods prior to the go to the present area at 173 N. Brookwood Ave. The corporation has about 30 staff. The West Chester shop at 4902 Union Centre Pavilion Generate opened in 2013 and has six.

For the duration of Environment War II, when Victory Gardens ended up common, the corporation included back garden seeds. In the late 1950s, at the insistence of her grandfather, Paul Grollmus, lawnmowers, landscape materials and other gear have been included.

Sophie Grollmus and her cousin, Abby Grollmus, grew up in the retail store.

“This made use of to be our playground, expanding up as youngsters,” she explained. “We would operate about and bounce on the mulch piles. There made use of to be a pile of fertilizer that sat in the entrance of the place, and we’d sit up there. Our grandpa, he’d get so mad at us, yell at us to get down off there, simply because we didn’t know what type of chemical substances had been in there.”

“We’re unquestionably not the most Fortune 500 men and women, all enterprise,” she mentioned. “We like to be loose and have a good time, and make persons feel like they are at property. I inform men and women it’s since we harass them and make them feel like they’re at home, which is why.”

The store’s key weapon not long ago is shop pet Rosie, a lovely 1½-12 months-previous Newfoundland. Some folks fall in to visit her.

To rejoice the huge anniversary, the family members in May experienced a party for store’s centennial, and for Sophie’s aunt, Sue O’shiels, turning 50. The Hamilton retailer also was internet hosting unique situations Friday and right now.

Increased Hamilton Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dan Bates explained the 100th anniversary is amazing: “Any company in this day and age that not only survives but thrives by anything that is handed to them. It is passion, tenacity and difficult function. And treating the clients proper.”

Not several Butler County corporations are that old. Hamilton Caster is 114.

ExploreThis Hamilton maker was launched in a garage in 1907. Now it is beginning a major enlargement.