OLIVESBURG – Growing up just two miles down the road, Tia Sponsler never imagined she would own the Olivesburg General Store.
“It was always just a fixture. You just ran to ‘The Burg,'” she said.
Now instead of running to the Burg, she’s running it, along with her husband, Aaron, and business partner, Matti Krispinsky.
Sponsler’s big dreams for the store are matched only by her faith, which she loves talking about with anyone who will listen. She often prays with customers, and over every business decision.
“This is God’s store,” she insists. “And he provides all the time.”
Since taking over the store in May 2017, Sponsler hired a pizza expert to help create a new pizza recipe with fresh crust and fresh ingredients, added breakfast sandwiches to the deli, consolidated the kitchen areas and added more seating. She’s revamped the gift shop with toys and other new items, and she’s worked hard on the grocery to keep prices down.
Aaron added a beer cave and is creating a men’s shop with products like beard oil and tools. The two have added live music events and are transforming a hallway into a museum honoring the 178-year legacy of the store.
Olivesburg General Store is the second-oldest continuously open general store in Ohio, Sponsler said, and so many customers come in with fond memories of stopping in for ice cream or to pick up necessities.
“I really love that it’s become a piggy bank of memories,” Sponsler said. “Who gets to be part of so many people’s joyful parts of life?”
The store has remained open throughout the transformation process, but Sponsler plans to officially unveil the new look with a grand re-opening weekend Jan. 26 to 28. The event will include giveaways and raffles, the launch of new menu items and two concerts.
Nickel Plate Bluegrass will perform at 7 p.m. Friday night and a duo of couples, Cathy and Scott Long and Jessica and Miles Robbins, will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Sponsler is hoping her regulars will come out for the celebration, but she also wants people who haven’t been to the store lately to stop by and see what’s new. Consolidating the kitchen area with the ice cream, deli and pizza counters on one end of the store freed up space for more seating, which is now interspersed throughout the gift shop.
“I want it to feel like a house,” Sponsler said. I want people to feel at home here and want to stay.”
Consignment items are now mixed in with new merchandise. Kitchen gadgets and baking items are still available, but Sponsler is carrying less of those products than the previous owner.
Keeping the business running while making many changes and maintaining an aging building has been a challenge, but Sponsler said it’s also more fun than she ever imagined.
“It’s been so joy-filled. I think that’s the surprise,” Sponsler said. “I just love it. This isn’t fake. I’m so jazzed about coming in every day.”
