24. Mr. Video

Little known fact: Mr. Video was the first business of one Ray Wiley, founder of Hot Head Burritos, which is one of the fastest growing chain restaurants in America, in Kettering. The followup to Mr. Video was New Carlisle’s Subway franchise. From there, Mr. Wiley saw great success as owner of Subway franchises throughout the state and that of course led to his founding Hot Head.

Without Mr. Video, however, none of Mr. Wiley’s dreams would have materialized. Mr. Video started in the mid 90s at what is now Subway at Lakeview Plaza. Business was booming and he decided to expand into the larger space next door while opening Subway at Mr. Video’s original location. Mr. Video, while great, lacked something its predecessor in video rentals, Video Images, didn’t: a huge room full of pornography VHS tapes stacked floor to ceiling. We aren’t as desperate for Mr. Video to return as other places, but God knows we need all the video rental stores we can get.

23. Hilltop

Hilltop was a carryout that once featured one of New Carlisle’s finest pizzas. You could also buy beer and fine wines at Hilltop. After it was sold it was rebranded as Tom’s Deli. Groceries, pizzas, and lunch meats were sold. It wasn’t until it became the 571 Grill and Draft House that it truly became a New Carlisle treasure. Sure, there are elements of Hilltop we miss, but we’re more blessed with 571 Grill and Draft House as our city’s finest place to eat.

22. Sohio

Sohio was located where Marathon now resides. It was a full service station that didn’t mess around with piddly items like Mac ‘n’ Cheese Doritos or cell phone chargers. Sohio wanted to sell you gas and get you on the road, and quick. They also offered oil changes and other maintenance services.

The iconic red, white, and blue signage was torn down in the early 90s when BP bought out the company. That company has since went to pot. BP is now famous for littering our oceans with oil and acting like they’re still great. Their stations are all in ruins and are embarrassments to most communities. We desperately need Sohio back.

Fun fact: Sohio was named by combining the words “Soviet” and “Ohio” and was a strident supporter of communism in the 1950s.

21. WIC

WIC was a high concept restaurant that brought about a unique approach to fine dining. WIC was nestled between April’s Pet Grooming and Arrow Queen. Their offerings were very basic but since it was up to the customer to shop for and make their meals in the comfort of their own home the possibilities were endless. WIC’s menu consisted of cheese blocks, dried beans, non-sugar breakfast cereal such as Wheaties, milk, and even assorted produce. Their children’s menu was limited to baby formula such as Similac and Enfamil. When visiting WIC the customer was given several coupons which were accepted at all major grocery stores including IGA and Community Market. WIC may have left New Carlisle but they will never leave our hearts.

20. Lawson’s

Lawson’s was a deli and convenience store chain that started in northern Ohio in the late 30s. It was famous for its chip dip and its selling of pornographic magazines. New Carlisle’s Lawson’s was located in the building now housing Papa John’s Pizza on North Main St. In the late 80s Dairy Mart bought Lawson’s and shortly thereafter changed the name of our beloved convenient store with one catch: Lawson’s Chip Dip would still be sold. Even to this day it can be found throughout America. Lawson’s is still hugely successful in Asia and in 2012 moved back to U.S. soil by opening 2 stores in Hawaii with plans to have 50 by the end of this year. Who knows, maybe if we’re lucky we’ll see Lawson’s come back to our little town in the future.

19. Owl Drug

Owl Drug was a pharmacy that occupied a building in the old part of downtown next to Headquarters. The thing about Owl Drug is this: it was a NIGHTMARE to figure out. I can tell you there is an Owl Drug in gosh dang West Milton and a handful in California. Basically Owl was the mac daddy of drug stores in the early 1900s. They started in San Francisco and took off across the country in all major cities. I know we had one in the 80s because I used to go to it, but heck if I know what’s happening here. I want it back because it was small and the receipts weren’t 9 feet long when I bought a single item. Sometimes it’s nice to only walk 10 feet to the counter instead of having to walk past all the random bull you find at Rite Aid and CVS.

 18. Western Auto

Western Auto was located in the building that now houses La Condessa Mexican Grocery. Don’t let the name fool you; Western Auto sold way more than just auto parts. From bicycles to weed eater string, Western Auto had you covered. Some say when God first thought up New Carlisle he had Western Auto in mind as the premier auto parts dealer. Times changed and with stores like Auto Zone and Napa in the mix Western Auto was doomed. We need Western Auto back because we need a reason to live again.

17. Sign Smith

If you’ve ever been out of the house then you’ve seen some of the fruits of Sign Smith’s labors. From the gold painted ‘Smith Park’ sign to the sign that adorned the Sign Smith building itself, Sign Smith literally left its mark all over town. Sign Smith was also a regular sponsor of some of the greatest little league and softball teams in the history of New Carlisle. Their signs were also featured along the outfield fences of each field at Haddix. While our town does have Studio 10 and Bright Now Signs, the operation that once was Sign Smith will always be the standard for other companies to attempt to live up to.

16. The Main St. Preacher’s Place

A few years back, if you drove down Main St and saw a man with a giant cross preaching at the wind, you probably felt it was just another normal day in town. That’s because Bill Jennings owned and operated a store in Bobo’s Service Center whose sole purpose was to dole out the word of our savior Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the store failed due to nothing being sold. Ever. As it turns out, the word of our Lord is actually free. It’s a tough business model in today’s economy.

15. New Carlisle Police Department

Some people might argue that the New Carlisle Police Department wasn’t actually a business, but I disagree, because I think the NCPD was in the business of protecting the citizens of New Carlisle, and that’s the most important business of all. It’s no coincidence that when the city started relying on Clark County Sheriffs for protection that things started going wrong.

I’m not only in favor of bringing the police department back, I’m in favor of expanding it to include a full riot squad with armored vehicles. Let’s see if people still want to break into cars and sell drugs after that!

14. The Pet Shop

The Pet Shop was located in the McAdams strip mall. It offered a wide range of animal care products such as leashes and foods. It’s hard to say why the Pet Shop didn’t last. Granted many of you don’t even know what I’m talking about right now so… maybe that was part of the problem. Others just didn’t really care for their pets back then. It was a different time.

Today, we need the Pet Shop more than ever. With strays being taken in on a daily basis and with the city’s loose dog epidemic, anyone who catches a roaming dog or cat will need the proper supplies to care for it until its owner notices it’s missing.

13. Dairy Mart

Of all the marts that have come and gone in New Carlisle history, none was as useless as Dairy Mart. Folks would gather in hordes and just hang out in and around the store, with no purpose whatsoever. Any time you would drive by Dairy Mart it looked like Black Friday at Wal-Mart, only with even more cigarette smoke hovering in the air.

As we mentioned, Dairy Mart replaced Lawson’s, but it never brought anything of value to town. So why are we asking that it make a comeback? Because we need some terrible businesses to make us appreciate the great ones we have. Imagine if all you ever had to eat was filet mignon. Would you really understand how fortunate you are until you’ve had some rancid old hamburger from a ratcat? Dairy Mart was rancid ratcat meat.

We’re saving the best for last… Click here to view part 3 of New Carlisle businesses that need to come back NOW!