Rock Run moving to downtown Fostoria

SENECA COUNTY — As it prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary later this year, Rock Run Bulk Foods is moving to Fostoria. For 30 years, the store has been a staple at SR 18 and US 224, but the property was sold and the Vogel family has been searching for a new location. In December, the search ended with the purchase of a former restaurant building (Candyland at one time) at 224-230 N. Main St., Fostoria. As soon as the sale at its current location was completed, Rock Run Operations Manager Dean Vogel said the family started looking at new spots in the Tiffin area that were large enough to handle the various Rock Run divisions – bulk food, "sweet treats," catering and truck rental. "But we could not find anything that fit the budget and had space for delivery trucks and the U-Haul rentals," he said. They considered moving back to the farm in Republic where the business started. They even considered closing the business. Instead, they expanded their search into nearby communities. In Fostoria, Dean said they found the Main Street location, called the number on the for-sale sign, determined the space would work and closed the sale – all within 90 days. However, earlier this week they discovered one aspect didn't work out as planned. Fostoria already has two U-Haul businesses, so Rock Run's 26-year relationship with the company must remain in Tiffin. The family said they'll continue looking for a location with "a reasonable price and enough space" for that part of the business. Except for the U-Haul portion, Dean said the Fostoria move works out well. "The building is on Main Street and the center of everything," he said. The company now owns its property, and they said Fostoria has welcomed them with open arms. "It puts us closer to other markets like Findlay and Bowling Green," Dean said. "And it's only 15 minutes from Tiffin. It makes sense from a demographic and geographic point of view." Dean said Rock Run is moving because a developer – Casto of Columbus – purchased the property and has other plans for it. A representative of the real estate company had not returned a phone call as of Friday afternoon. "They've been very good to work with," Dean said. The deadline for leaving was extended from end of the December until March. "We talked a lot about it before making a decision," said Duane Vogel, who operates Rock Run Catering. "It was one of those gut decisions." Since buying the Fostoria property, Duane said he has been working with city officials to get required permits and get plans approved for changes to the building. He's making plans to remodel the kitchen to suit his catering business. There also might be a deli counter and space for serving food daily. He said several potential new customers have stopped in to check on catering services. Sister Tammy Staib also will have a portion of the new building for her Rock Run Sweet Treats. She'll be moving her home bakery into the new store where she'll continue to make homemade cookies, candy, fudge and buckeyes. "Buckeyes are the No. 1 thing," she said. Barb said customers are the reason the store exists, and their loyalty has been of utmost importance. "Without that type of customer loyalty, this would never have grown," she said "Those customers are the reason we're here every day." She was concerned the move might hinder the customer base, but she's been doing an informal survey at the counter and the vast majority said the move won't keep them from visiting the store. The family is optimistic that Tiffin area customers will make the short drive to Fostoria, and new customers will find the store. They plan to make a few changes such as phasing out products that don't sell well, but for the most part, the products will remain the same. Already, the family has purchased used shelving for the new location. "The next piece is to coordinate the move," Dean said. The plan is to keep the business open in its Tiffin location until late February and open in Fostoria in early March. "We've had 31 years here and nine years out of my home," said Barb, who founded the company. "In August, the big 40 sign goes up." The beginning Rock Run started in her Republic home in 1984. When her late husband lost his job when a business closed, she decided to take a class and start baking cakes as an income. "A neighbor had asked me to make a graduation cake," she said. "I got more orders from that party." She bought cake-baking ingredients in bulk, and soon people started asking her to sell ingredients. "My first order was for flour, sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar," she said. Barb then set up displays at fairs and shows to expand further, and the three children became involved by helping to set up displays. By 1993, Rock Run was ready to open a store and found a small space in its current location. There was another business in the building with a drive-thru. When the drive-thru business decided to leave, Rock Run switched to the larger portion of the building for a few years. "We ended up knocking down the wall and taking the whole thing," Barb said. "As time passed, we kept adding different services that we provide. It just kept blossoming." Today, each of "the kids" has his or her own niche. Dean is the operations manager for Rock Run Bulk Foods, while sister Tammy Staib operates Rock Run Sweet Treats and brother Duane runs Rock Run Catering. "I started this because I wanted to be with my family and raise them," she said. "Financially, things were horrible when my husband lost his job." While many family businesses have no one who wants to take over, she said all three of her children remain involved in Rock Run and they work well together. "I have a family that believes in this and has worked really hard to keep it going," she said. "At my age, I feel very blessed."