MANSFIELD, Ohio — Although they had originally intended closing the family business of 59 years this Saturday, June 13, the owners of Weidle’s Meats and Delicatessen on Springmill Street–Linda Goode and Karl and Lilli Hassmann–said Wednesday that they plan on keeping the store open for another week, possibly longer.
“We’re in current negotiations with somebody to buy the business,” said Rob Hassmann, son of Karl and Lilli Hassmann. “We were originally going to close Saturday the 13th–that’s what we told everybody–and now we are in negotiations to have somebody buy it, so we’re going to be open at least another week. And depending on how negotiations go it could be longer than that; it just depends.”
If the prospective buyer were to purchase the business from the retiring owners, “He wants to keep everything–the products, everything–the same,” said Goode. And that includes maintaining the current employees, Karl Hassmann added.
Rob Hassmann said, “We’re either going to retire by selling the business or retire by closing it down, depending on the negotiations.”
The owners, who intend to spend more time with family during retirement, hope to see the business continued as is. “That would be so great,” said Goode.
Sisters Linda Goode and Lilli Hassmann have both been a part of the family business for over 50 years. It was started by their late father, John Weidle, in a small house on Springmill Street in 1956. The business was later moved to its current location, 749 Springmill St. From 1960 to 1991, a second Weidle’s Meats and Delicatessen store was open in the West Park Shopping Center, Goode said.
“He was the driving force behind this business,” Goode said of her father.
Weidle got his start in the meat business in Yugoslavia at 12 years old. “In Yugoslavia, children only went to school up 12 years of age, and then after that they chose a profession and went into apprenticeship…So he had been in the meat business since he was 12, Goode said.
“He brought all the recipes that he learned over there [in Yugoslavia] here.”
Most of the products sold at Weidle’s are homemade. Items include fresh and smoked sausage, bratwurst, bologna, salami, ham and much more. Goode said her favorite is the smoked garlic sausage, which is one of their best-sellers, she said.
In 2008, Linda Goode and Karl and Lilli Hassmann became the owners. “It’s a family business, and I can honestly say everybody gets along,” Goode said. Their children and grandchildren have each been involved in the business at one point or another, Goode said, noting, “Everybody’s done something in some capacity.”
Rob Hassmann said he got involved when he was eight years old by washing dishes and sweeping the floors. He still helps out at the store on an as-needed basis.
“I’ve enjoyed meeting a few generations of customers over the years,” he said.
“All of our customers have been so great,” Lilli Hassmann said.
“And we’ve appreciated how they’ve supported us all these years,” Goode added.
“We were originally going to close Saturday the 13th–that’s what we told everybody–and now we are in negotiations to have somebody buy it,” said Rob Hassmann.
