Get updated on Coshocton businesses

| September 5, 2012

Area business are getting updates, changing locations, adding their name to the community and celebrating anniversaries.

Plaza: The Downtowner Plaza was updated with new metal roofing and a fresh coat of red paint on its poles. Beacon photo by Josie McCormick

Downtowner Plaza

The Downtowner Plaza on Second Street recently received a facelift.

“The shingles (on the overhangs of the stories) had been there a long time and were pass their useful life,” said Matt Fagin, manager of the Plaza. “They just weren’t a good modern solution for protecting the building. The standing seam metal roof gave the Plaza a breath of fresh air and will protect it.”

The poles supporting the overhang also were updated with a fresh coat of red paint.

“That ties into one of our bigger faces which is Tractor Supply,” Fagin said. “We are always doing things as part of our annual budget process and evaluating what needs done in terms of hardcore stuff like our roofs, HVC unites and the parking lot.”

He is also always trying to add more to the Plaza.

“There are several openings and most of them are on the Your Pizza side,” Fagin said. “I’ve got a prospect for a one space on that side and we have some activity for the others.”

He wants people to know that the owners of the Plaza are open to trying to strike mutually agreeable deals for new businesses.

“I’m very approachable,” he said. “I want to have a conversation. Don’t make an assumption and think we are out of reach.”

Fagin also welcomes comments and questions on the Plaza’s Facebook page.

“It’s been fun doing Facebook,” he said. “I love the interactivity of it and I’ve been really encouraged by the feedback. I got some good leads from it. Our goal is to serve the community and give the community what it wants. “

The Plaza is owned by Coshocton Associates LLC in St. Louis, Mo.

“We view what we do in towns like Coshocton as a team effort to serve the community from a retail stand point,” Fagin said. “We aren’t Wal-Mart. We are the other guys with a more community orientated retail approach. It will take my effort and everyone else’s to get the Plaza to its full potential. If there are problems I want to know about them and if there are prospects I want to know about them to. We are in it for the long haul.”

For more on the Plaza, visit http://www.facebook.com/downtownerplaza.

Computers: The family of Nichole and Stan Braxton and their front office employee Jen Large stand in front of Corporate I.S. Solutions, which is operated by the Braxtons. The business recently relocated to the Downtowner Plaza. Beacon photo by Josie McCormick

Stan Braxton moved his business, Corporate I.S. Solutions from Main Street to the Downtowner Plaza, in August to give him room to expand.

“We want to add an Internet café so people come enjoy a cup of coffee or their lunch while they sit in a relaxed atmosphere and use our free wifi,” Braxton said.

Braxton has been in business for 13 years and offers a variety of services. He provides computer repair services, business telephone systems, Internet through Safer Internet, web design, can provide information technology services for businesses and computers for purchase.

“The big part of our business is our Safer Internet and a device we have that you can plug in to the home to keep the family computers safe,” Braxton said.

Corporate I.S. Solutions is located at 440 Downtowner Plaza. For information, call 622-8115.

“I think what makes us unique is that we provide family, friendly Internet and build relationships with our customers,” Braxton said. “I really enjoy interacting with the people we work with.”

Beltone Hearing Aid Center

Beltone Hearing Aid Center is now located at 406 Second St. and offers hearing evaluations and counseling and dispenses, services and repairs hearing aids.

“We are part of the Beltone network and we are the exclusive dispenser of Beltone hearing aids for Coshocton and Muskingum counties,” said Michael Hunt, who is the general manager and a hearing aid practitioner.

Hunt started with Beltone in 1977.

“We will help the community by providing hearing help to hearing impaired residents,” he said.

Beltone is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information, call 622-0403 or visit www.beltonetristate.com.

“Walk-ins are welcome,” Hunt said.

Angels, Cups, & Pages

Angels, Cups, & Pages is celebrating its one year anniversary.

The used bookstore in New Castle is an outreach project of the young adults at New Castle Ministries. It is a not for profit and proceeds go to the Knox County Library System and to help maintain the building, which is an old school house.

Rae Anderson, pastor at New Castle Ministries, said the store has well over 5,000 books.

“They are mostly all discarded library books from libraries in Knox and Richland counties, but we also get books donated from Kenyon College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University and other schools in Knox and Richland counties,” she said. “They are really good quality books. We take donations from anyone who wants to donate old books. We will use them all. We have all different kinds of fiction, nonfiction, self help, gardening, cooking books and even a whole room of kids’ books.”

Families who home school their children, groups planning Bible studies, people looking for sets of encyclopedias or nature books and even people wanting magazines for craft projects also can find plenty of options to choose from for reasonable prizes.

“Hardbacks are $1, soft covered books are$.50 and kids’ books are three for a $1,” Anderson said. “We have some specially priced books that are real high quality and antique books are more expensive.”

People are welcome to come browse the shelves of the store or attend special events held there. Story time for toddlers to middle school age children will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturdays starting Sept. 8 and craft time for children and adults is being planned for Saturdays closer to the holiday season.

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