We’ve taken it from an ugly building to one of the handsomest on the Square. – Ed Babcock
The handsome façade added to 109 Main Street this past summer in Chardon heralds another incarnation of a historic building on the Square.
Although the front is narrow, the unit that shares walls with Antiques on the Square to the south and Jasmine Dragons on the north is deep and spacious, with high ceilings and loads of potential.
Owners Ed and Connie Babcock are enthusiastic about making the two-story structure into businesses that will draw visitors to the square and provide living space that is badly needed in the city.
“We’re small-town people. We love Chardon and love the old buildings,” Connie said during a tour of the basement that most recently housed The Back Alley Book Store, and the first floor, where Chardon Savings Bank operated for years.
An art gallery and law offices figured in the structure’s history as well.
“It’s had a lot of reincarnations,” Connie said.
The Babcocks saw their chance to rescue 109 Main Street and return it to its former glory about three years ago when the property went up for sheriff’s sale.
They bought it from the bank and the project was on hold for a bit while they bought Wicked Woods Golf Course in Newbury Township and regrouped.
“We were debating what we wanted to do with it,” Ed said, adding they worked with the architect to meet Chardon’s standards.
“The city wanted changes,” he said.
But the couple’s confidence in Ed’s instinct for a good deal has not waivered.
“Why I do things, I don’t always know,” he said, adding he really wanted to see the property improved.
“We’ve taken it from an ugly building to one of the handsomest on the Square,” Ed said.
The progress on the façade was hidden from curious eyes behind a plywood curtain all summer while contractor Dave McCaskey renovated the front wall.
“He was easy to work with. He made the extra effort to make it nice,” she said.
When the curtain came down, 109 Main Street looked like it was part of the original lineup of neighboring attractive historical buildings.
“We’re very pleased with the finished project,” Connie said, adding they are happy to have contributed to the ambience of the Square.
“We think Chardon is as picturesque as any small town in New England and with people who epitomize warmth and friendliness,” she said.
Connie said they would like to see more commercial activity around the Square.
The Babcocks met 43 years ago at the Kent State University – Geauga bookstore in Chardon and Connie said she has learned a lot about the city from Ed’s nostalgic recollections.
“Ed often talks about the time when Chardon had everything it could need,” she said. Stores selling hardware, groceries, shoes, clothing and baked goods were all within walking distance of the Square.
Rickert’s Bakery made the best cake donuts and English muffin bread anywhere, Connie said.
The business environment started to change when state Route 44 was rerouted and truck traffic made the Square less pedestrian-friendly.
Good restaurants, multiple antique stores and law offices have been the primary commercial occupants of the Main Street corridor, but the growth of the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild may tie into the Babcocks’ dreams.
The second floor of 109 Main Street, with a front balcony, is already slated to become two 600-square-foot apartments, but Connie said the first floor would make a great small brewery and the basement could be built out to a wine cellar.
“We had three inquiries for offices in the past three months, but we feel very strongly the dream business would be something that contributes to the life of the square in other ways. Geauga lyric guild theatre-goers need a place to stop before and after a show,” she said.
The first floor walls and floor are lined in marble and a mosaic frieze decorates one wall.
The original molded tin ceiling is mostly intact and, in other parts of the building, oak flooring is preserved and the historic brickwork is visible.
The Babcocks have had some work done, such as a steel beam installed to support the first floor, but they are waiting to see what potential leasers would like to have built into the spaces in the basement and first floor.
Whatever it is, they want it to attract visitors and customers.
“Chardon has the opportunity to be a destination location, like Willoughby,” Ed said.
“Only prettier,” Connie added.
