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Spencer Feed & Supply Where customer service still comes first |
History of Spencer Feed & Supply |
In the late 1800's a lumber firm was opened in Spencer, Ohio adjacent to the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway by Browand and Ingraham. Shortly afterwards, Fuller and Firestone formed a competing company along with a grain elevator. In 1912, Fuller and Firestone sold out their business to Ingraham and his partners Sharpe and Wolfe. Ingraham ran the elevator for many years before failing health forced him to sell out to a cooperative of farmers who changed the name to the Spencer Equity Exchange Company under the management of a board of directors with Fuller back as acting manager. Several years later there were financial problems and the Farmers Savings Bank took control at that time. In 1941, William Carle, Jr., a bank examiner from Cleveland, came to Spencer to audit the Farmers Savings Bank. An offer by the bank was proposed to Carle to purchase Spencer Equity, and upon acceptance he bought out the bank. Carle successfully ran the business, now named Spencer Elevator, until his retirement when he turned to his grandson, Bill Carle and Bill's wife Julia took over management of the business. After Mr. Carle's death, the remaining grandchildren chose to sell the business. In 1998, DH&L Supply Co. of Wadsworth, Ohio purchased Spencer Elevator. The store continued under the management of Julia Carle who had been managing the store since 1986 together with her husband and on her own since 1996. Under the new ownership, Spencer Elevator added a full line of masonry builders' supplies to its existing feed and farm supply products and offered delivery service to Spencer and the surrounding areas under its new name, Spencer Feed & Supply. A new 5,000 square foot hardware store and attached 6,000 square foot drive through warehouse opened in April 2002. In the fall of 2004, Julia Carle bought the Spencer location back from the owners of DH&L Supply Company. The original staff have all remained, and look forward to continued expansion in the growing local market with a focus on outstanding customer service. |