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Second-hand store a hidden gem

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By Elaine Morris Roberts 5:39 PM Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Thanks to the readers who turned me on to Home Again General Store.

It’s a hidden gem, located at 1115 N. Bechtle Ave. in the Park Shopping Center Plaza. The store features “pre-loved” — their terminology — furniture, housewares, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, record albums, small electronics and a host of other interesting stuff.

When I talked to owner Jon Mabry, I was shocked to discover he has been quietly hawking, among other things, beautiful Depression glass, 20th century modern furniture, Boyd’s Bears and Longaberger baskets there for three years.

“I think people don’t tell their friends,” he said, “because they want to keep this their secret.”

This is not a place to dump your junk. Mabry and his four employees are particular about what they’ll put on the store shelves.

Home Again works like this: You bring in a couple of bins of stuff you want to get rid of, the staff culls through it and decides what they’ll take.

Anything they want, they buy outright. Sellers can take cash or opt for store credit, which garners 5 percent more than any cash offer.

Mabry also hits auctions and liquidation sales for unique items to add to his inventory.

He has frequent customers from West Virginia, Iowa and Kentucky and there are dealers who regularly stop in to see what he has on hand. “We’ve sort of become the dealer’s dealer,” he said.

Something of a decorating expert in his own right, Mabry owned Elmwood Place, a 1861 Georgian Revival farmhouse in Union County, that was featured in House Trends magazine. He also sits on the board of the Ohio Governor’s Mansion and secured the china and glassware currently being used by Ohio’s First Family.

When I stopped in, he had a beautiful pair of vintage end tables from the late 1950s for $14.99 each, tons of Fiestaware in all colors and framed art ranging from $2 to $20.

Prices are already great and if an item goes on clearance, it’s 60 percent off the original price.

“We mark new clearance every two months or so, but most things don’t hang around that long. Our average turnover is about 30 days,” he said.

The store offers layaway and 24-hour holds.

The tastiest aspect of the store is its stash of vintage candy. Mabry’s favorites are Bottle Caps, and he stocks one of my all-time favorites, Zagnut bars. He also has a cooler filled with every flavor of Stewart’s sodas.

“We have sort of a cult following. It’s been a wild three years,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.

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