Ralph's Joy of Living celebrates 70 years of escaping from grouchy

In 1950, Ralph Smothers Sr. had $200 to his name. 70 years later, the business he started in a 600 square foot building with two appliances has grown to a 10,000 square foot showroom of home goods, kitchenware, and more. What was born as Ralph's Maytag, a store that sold only washers and dryers, now thrives as Ralph's Joy of Living. Though Ralph Sr. worked in the store until he was 95, it was Ralph Jr. that diversified and expanded its range of products. In 1988, Ralph Sr. and his wife, Evelyn, had put the business up for sale. They didn't want Ralph Jr. to take over. They wanted him to have job security. But Ralph Jr., positive he could turn the store around, took up the challenge anyway. In 1991, he added kitchen design services and cabinetry to the Ralph's product lineup. Soon after, he met his wife of now 26 years, Julie, on a ski trip in New York. Julie was a sales agent for an imported wine distributor in Ontario, Canada, and when she and Ralph were married in 1994, the idea to merge wine and cooking with the original appliance-only store format was born. "I knew I couldn't just sell appliances," Ralph said. "I had to diversify. Appliances only get people in the door every seven or 10 years." One year after their wedding, Ralph and Julie opened a second store in Fremont with a fully-functional kitchen. Julie managed the store, and added cooking classes and kitchen wares to its offerings. In 2003, Ralph's acquired a beer and wine license- thus becoming the only appliance store in the state of Ohio to sell alcohol. This year, they also began selling Olivelle olive oil and vinegar products. 15 years ago, the store expanded even further- a 6000 square foot addition was added. The renovation was bittersweet- in order to keep the store all on one level while still expanding, the original 600 square foot building that Ralph Sr. started in had to be torn down. "It was a hard decision for me to make," Ralph Jr. said, his voice somber. "But I know I did the right thing." Seven or eight years after the major expansion, Ralph and Julie hired a branding consultant. They needed a new logo, or a slogan, or both. Something people would remember. The consultant came up with "escape from grouchy" and a logo to match, modeled after a person jumping for joy. "It just makes you smile," Julie said. "Like, I wanna go there!" As for the name "Joy of Living," Julie chose it around the time of the 6000 square foot addition. A big fan of Bon Appetit magazine's "Bon Vivant" section, Julie was inspired by French culture's focus on the good life. Her sister-in-law, a French-Canadian, mentioned the phrase "joie de vivre" (the joy of living) one day, and Julie had an epiphany. Another aspect of French culture that Julie held close: the experience of bonding with family and friends at the dinner table. Her husband shared that value. "People are just screaming for that time with their children around the table," Ralph said. "That time is just golden time." "One of the silver linings of COVID-19 was getting people back together with their families," Julie added. "And I want this to be a place that helps people break bread with their family and friends around the table." The brand's family values were clear: from bringing families together to two generations of family ownership, Ralph's Joy of Living made their priority known. Ralph and Julie have three children, but they aren't sure yet if any of them will inherit the business. "We want them to live their own lives," Julie said. "This is OUR joy of living, not theirs." The future is bright for Ralph's Joy of Living. With the recent closure of Bindel's Appliances in Findlay, Ralph acquired a new customer base of 15,000 people. He had known the Bindels his whole life, and when they wanted to retire, they knew where to point their customers. "Since I can remember, the Bindels and the Smothers were good friends," Ralph said. "Our sales have never been so strong. My gosh, our sales are off the charts." And Ralph, standing in the same spot his father stood seven decades ago, smiled. "The best is yet to come," he said. "Just wait."