By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
When it comes to Missi Hinkle’s life right now, nothing’s better than opening her craft store on the busy thoroughfare of North Sandusky Avenue.
Hinkle celebrated the moment with a ribbon cutting at her store, Nothing’s Better, Friday morning and will hold a grand opening on Saturday.
“It’s handmade stuff,” explained Hinkle, who noted that all the items were made locally by a diverse group of crafters. “Mine and 11 other vendors now. Eventually, I’ll be doing direct sale parties in the back room so I can help out the local direct sale reps, too.”
Hinkle, a crocheter, loves making handmade, one-of-a-kind crafts. She loved the idea of having that type of store in Bucyrus even more, but she almost didn’t set up shop in the downtown area. She had been looking at several stores in the plazas and nearly settled on one in the Southern Lights Shopping Center when she saw a For Lease sign at the former AT&T store.
“I called and the first day Jim (Mayes) brought me in here and looked around, I was like ‘This is it. This is my store and I’m going to be uptown,’” Hinkle said with a cheer. “I’m super excited.”
In addition to Hinkle’s crocheted pieces, the other items in the store from crafters include handmade jewelry, reclaimed wood and new wood pieces, paintings, wreathes, restored vintage items, vinyl-decorated clothing, handmade handbags, baked goods, and more.
Hinkle chuckled when asked how she connected with local crafters to bring their items to her store.
“Facebook,” she said simply. “A couple of them are just friends I’ve known forever, but posting on Facebook and the garage sale sites.”
Though Hinkle has put in hard work to get her store up and running, she is still accepting items from other crafters to sell. Interested crafters can contact Hinkle through the Nothing’s Better Facebook page, by calling the store at 419-617-7542, or by walking into the store.
“A lot of them just walk in. I’ve had quite a few people just walk in with a bucket full of stuff. ‘I wonder if you might want to sell this in your store,’” Hinkle recounted.
Hinkle will be holding a grand opening today from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. She will be featuring sales and her six-year-old son will be holding a bird house painting workshop all day.
Nothing’s Better is located at 109 N. Sandusky Ave., Bucyrus. Business hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 3:30-6:30 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. The phone number is 419-617-7542. Nothing’s Better can also be found on Facebook.