Curious about the inside?
Photos at the bottom
Bill Suter, board member, provided the Icon with this story.
The old Peerless Glove factory transformation into the new Et Cetera Shop is well under way. 

The project is about half done and on schedule for a mid-August completion.  Most rehabilitation of the building is done.  Machinery has been removed. floors have been reinforced, pipes replaced, and antiquated restrooms torn out.  The “tear-out” and structural rehabilitation phase is largely done, with few surprises.

Non-structural surprises were uncovered during the initial phase of construction.  About two dozen whisky bottles were found, apparently from long ago.  The label on one bottle reads “Old Ancestry Whiskey, , with a seal that said “Guaranteed Under Natural Pure Food Law June 30, 1906. Another bottle had molded glass with “Hayne Whiskey Distillery  Troy, Ohio.”

The two particular bottles still had corks, but no product inside.  An interesting brick emerged with the name “Timmy Miller” painted on the face. 

"Building-in” phase under way
The “building-in” phase is under way.  The sidewalk “pit” below ground has been filled in and sidewalks poured.  

Inside the building, the central area has been opened up by removing portions of interior walls.  Fire-suppression systems and new electrical wiring is in progress. 

Drywall has been used to create new rooms and give a finished look to the old warehouse appearance.  All windows are currently being replaced. The main-floor windows are being lowered before replacement.

Garlock Brothers Construction Co., of Findlay has been overseeing the project.  Since the beginning of remodeling in March, they have consistently projected an August completion date. The Et Cetera Shop Board members are feeling quite optimistic about a fall opening given the rapid progress made so far.

In the next two months finishing will become the main task.  Flooring will be installed, trim put in place, paint will go on, and awnings will be installed above the ground floor windows. 

When possible, the old bricks will be left exposed.  An old Fairbanks scale left in the building is being restored by Ron Epp, with the intention of bringing it back for display as an icon of the glove factory.

Background on the move
The move from the current location was initiated several years ago.  As donations of goods for sale increased, more space was needed.  It was also felt that more retail area would help serve more customers by offering more display area. 

Manager, Chrissy Lugibihl, and the governing board and volunteers are optimistic about the future of the store. 

It is believed that the Et Cetera Shop provides many positives to the community.  This move will save the Glove Factory from vacancy, bring another store to Main Street, save good items from the landfill, provide affordable items to many folks, help people near and far, while improving the working conditions of the faithful volunteers who happily serve without pay.

Chrissy indicated that it was 45 years ago the Et Cetera Shop opened for business.  One of the “prime movers” for the original store was Lois Kreider, formerly of Bluffton, who just recently passed.  Everyone connected with the store believes she would have been pleased to see the new shop.