Home Care In Grand Rapids, OH

Mary Alice Powell began at The Blade in the 50s but has worked in the industry since the 1940s when she got a job as a cub reporter for her hometown newspaper.

GRAND RAPIDS, Ohio — Longtime Toledo newspaper columnist Mary Alice Powell celebrated her 95th birthday on Sunday, as family and friends gathered in the backyard of her green bungalow across the Maumee River in Grand Rapids.

"Writing is what I love to do, ya know, I'm a journalist. But I think the love of people has a lot to do with it. I think enjoying people in all walks of life," said Powell on her joy in life.

Powell started her career in journalism. when she was just 18-years-old, just about a year after the end of World War II.

Powell was working in a factory at the time when her high school English teacher encouraged her to apply for a job as a cub reporter for the hometown newspaper in Adrian, Michigan.

In 1954, she started working at The Blade where she stayed until 1995 when she retired, but not before seeing the world.

Incredibly, Powell was able to have a decades long career as a writer without ever having graduated from college.

She continues to write to this day and still occasionally contributes columns to her old newspaper.

Mrs. Powell is best known for her restaurant reviews and food tips and tricks. So it was no surprise her birthday party was beautifully catered while a small jazz ensemble played in the background.

As friends and family gathered to celebrate Mrs. Powell, they shared some of their favorite stories about her.

Her colleagues say Powell was a master at getting people to tell their own stories, something she was able to use in her columns.

"Wherever she goes, we would kind of meet somebody and not think anything about it. She'll talk to somebody and pull something out of them, and say 'oh that's a good story', and then next thing you know, it'll be in the paper," said Barbara Hendel, the Society Editor, at The Blade.

One guest at the party and a person Mrs. Powell wrote about - over 40 years ago - was Father Say. He himself turned 90 just last week.

"Longevity is the focus here today," Father Say said. "Longevity at its finest."

Mrs. Powell has a special place in her heart for her readers, who continue to read her column year after year.

"Oh, I love them. It just almost brings tears, because I write for them."

Related Articles

MORE FROM WTOL 11:

Mayor of the Village of Grand Rapids John Berry says the first phase will include up to 17 new homes.

GRAND RAPIDS, Ohio — A new housing development in historic Grand Rapids, Ohio has people in the area talking.

Some have said that it's not right for the small-town feel, but others think the new houses will be good for the town.

The plan is news to Veronica, who has lived on Front street for 20 years.

"The majority of people in this town didn't know about it. We did not have a choice or a chance to voice our opinion on it," she said.

Village of Grand Rapids Mayor John Berry said it's been in the works for about a year-and-a-half.

"I wish they could have come to the meetings earlier. It's been posted. It's been advertised. We don't stand on the corner and tell everybody this is gonna happen, but it's kinda their own fault for not really catching up with what's going on in town," Berry said.

On Thursday, the planning commissioners unanimously voted to move forward with River's Crossing.

"That was for the passage of plat one with the deficiencies corrected," Berry said.

The vote means that up to 17 homes will go up on the southwest corner of town, on W. Third St., and near Sailor Lane.

"(There are) big ramifications for the county as a whole. Who's paying for what? What's it gonna do to our taxes? What's it gonna do to our schools? Grand Rapids is a small town. That's why we live here and I really don't think anybody's very happy with explosive growth," Veronica said.

But, Berry seems to think otherwise.

"Having more houses makes other things grow, too. Maybe there will be a grocery store someday... another gas station. It does make things grow. So, it's better than sitting on a property for 40 - 45 years and nothing happens to it at all," he said.

The plans are moving forward with some deficits they will present to the developer.

Veronica said she's not completely against it, but wants more details.

"I would like to know more about the developers. Because, you know, there's always social media crap going on. I want to know why there wasn't more transparency. Why weren't we told about this from the get-go," she said.

Related Articles

If you'd like to voice your concerns, Berry said you can stop by city council meetings. They are held every second and fourth Monday of every month.

While The Grand Kerr House may be closing its B&B doors, the Facebook page will stay open as it transitions into "Bob & Cathy’s Grand Retirement," the couple said.

GRAND RAPIDS, Ohio — The Grand Kerr House, a bed-and-breakfast in Grand Rapids, Ohio, is set to close, the owners announced in a Facebook post Monday night.

Bob and Cathy Trame have owned and lived in the B&B since 2016 and plan to enjoy their retirement in 2023.

"Our health is still good, our humor remains intact and our marriage is going strong. We have simply decided to sleep in a little later and take the time to relax with our morning cup of coffee and each other on the front porch," the Trame's announcement reads.

Their retirement marks the latest chapter in the house's history which dates back to 1880, according to its website.

It was originally built by Benjamin and Ann Kerr, along with architect E.O. Fallis, whose name is behind the construction of many historic buildings in and around Toledo.

The Kerr's and their descendants occupied the home for nearly 100 years before Laurie Hostetler purchased and restored the home in 1977 as a health and wellness spa.

While The Grand Kerr House may be closing its B&B doors, the Facebook page will stay open as it transitions into "Bob & Cathy’s Grand Retirement."

To see some of the Victorian house's renovations over the years, click here.

Related Articles

Want more from WTOL 11?

?? Download the WTOL 11 weather app for the latest local 10-day forecast and live radar!

?? Download the WTOL 11 news app for Apple here or get it in the Google store here.

?? Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL 11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox!

WTOL 11's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed.

In an interview with a Swedish news source, Jonatan Berggren discloses how a two-hour drive to the Red Wings farm team turned into a five-hour tale of two cities.

GRAND RAPIDS, Ohio — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above is from WTOL 11 sister station WZZM 13, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

When Detroit Red Wings prospect Jonatan Berggren was assigned to the farm team, he wasn’t quite expecting the adventure to involve actual farms.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, is two hours from Detroit and home to just shy of 200,000 residents. It's known for a lot of things, including good beer and good hockey.

Grand Rapids, Ohio, is two hours from Detroit and home to just shy of 1,000 residents. It's also home to the Applebutter Festival. But, it isn't home to a hockey rink.

It's a tale of two Grand Rapids and one confused Swede.

Jonatan Berggren is starting his first season in North America, having played his entire career in Sweden for Skellefteå AIK until now.

The 21-year-old forward is one of the most promising prospects in the Red Wings system, but it was a long road for him to get to Detroit's minor league team.

Literally.

After playing preseason games for the Wings, it was time to head to Grand Rapids to open the season with the Griffins. Berggren packed up a rental car with his girlfriend Tilde and hit the road.

Heading south.

"She told me to put the arena’s name into the GPS, but I couldn't find it," said Berggren, translated from an interview with Swedish sports newspaper Sportsbladet. “I’ll type in Grand Rapids, then we can search for the arena when we get there."

When the GPS read "Grand Rapids, OH," Berggren thought that had to be the spot. The possibility of two Grand Rapids in the USA didn't cross his mind.

"I had never heard it before. But wow, 'there's probably only one Grand Rapids in the US,' I thought," Berggren recalled. "It was also two hours from Detroit, and they had told me it would take about that long."

The next two hours went without any problems, even though he thought the US had some crazy drivers.

It felt great with only 20 minutes left in the drive, but also a little odd. Berggren said he had read that Grand Rapids was a pretty big city, but what he saw was more like a town.

So he simply wondered when he'd be met by this big city of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Instead, he was met by farmers in the much smaller village of Grand Rapids, Ohio.

Berggren realized the mistake when he typed in the arena’s name into the GPS and it said it was three hours away. He thought that must be wrong. He searched again and realized what had happened.

The right name, but the wrong place.

They turned around and tried again. Lucky for them, there's only one Van Andel Arena.

The first thing his girlfriend said was, “You should have let me drive."

"My girlfriend wasn’t happy," Berggren admitted. "We finally got there, but it took five hours instead of two."

Credit: WTOL 11

"It felt a little bit like the movie, 'Dumb and Dumber.' Just then and right there, it was tough. But when we got there we could laugh about it," he said. "The guys on the team also thought it was funny. It is a good story to tell."

The drive on I-96, between Detroit and what Michiganders say is the "real" Grand Rapids, is one that many Red Wings prospects grow familiar with.

When the call comes, players pack their bags and head to Detroit to play in the NHL. They'll either stay there or eventually be sent back down to Grand Rapids, sometimes repeating the drive several times throughout the season.

Fortunately, Berggren isn't expected to find his way around a map. He has to find a way to put the puck in the back of the net.

"If you ask the guys I have played with, they probably say it’s typical," Berggren laughed. "But hey, things happen."

While Berggren may have ended up in the Buckeye State rather than the Beer City, the Red Wings do have a minor league team in Ohio. His mix-up leaving Motown coincidentally took him past Toledo - the home of Detroit's ECHL affiliate Toledo Walleye - twice.

It's a good thing he wasn't sent there, or else he and Tilde may have ended up in Spain.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A new store showcasing what Grand Rapids has to offer is now open downtown.

Oh, Hello Co. Paper & Gifts will hold its soft opening Thursday, a day after the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority granted the business a $23,000 grant to help pay for rent.

The store at 40 Monroe Center NW sells items made by small businesses and local artists, including gifts touting Grand Rapids.

“It’s been a whirlwind. From start to finish, it’s been about 40 days,” said store owner Kayla Benda. “It’s been a lot of long nights, paint all over us, but it’s also been really fun.”

Her husband agrees.

“I imagine if business was whitewater rafting, this is a Class 5,” said Alex Benda, CEO of the company’s promotional branch, Oh, Hello Branding. “It’s been crazy.”

INSIDE ‘OH, HELLO’

From wooden spoons and mugs to planners, cards, clothing and jewelry, Oh, Hello Co. Paper & Gifts has it all.

Right now, the store is showcasing work from eight local artists, including a single mother who transforms damaged children’s books into buttons and miniaturized food jewelry created by 18-year-old Chloe White.

“Chloe actually does her earrings for her anxiety. It helps her to stay focused and calm down. And I just think that’s an amazing outlet, that you get to turn something that’s a negative into a positive and create something out of that turmoil within you,” said Kayla.

Oh, Hello Co.’s owners expect to more than double the number of artists in the store next month, with no limit in sight.

“There’s just so many different talented people that I’m just really excited to showcase them all,” said Kayla.

The Bendas are even in talks with a local musician who would like to have his songs piped into the store.

“That’s what I think we recognize in Grand Rapids, is we are a city of artisans, we are a city of craftsmen. We’ve got Furniture City, beer, you know craft beer brew. We have all this talent here because we are the best craftsman city in the United States, if not the world, in my opinion. So, why don’t we have a store that shows that?” Alex explained.

Visitors to Oh, Hello Co. Paper & Gifts can customize their gifts on site with a laser printer in the store, which cuts ornaments and etches copies of handwritten messages into products.

“Because we are a city of artisans, having something that you can make art in the store was really important to us, that you can create something that you’ve designed or that we designed together with you and produce it right in the store,” said Kayla.

The Bendas also have a larger laser printer off-site for heftier orders, like tables.

Oh, Hello Co. Paper & Gifts’ focus on Grand Rapids doesn’t stop with its merchandise.

“Everyone who works here is going to be a tourism ambassador. So people, even if you’re from Grand Rapids or an out-of-towner, you’re going to be able to walk in and ask someone in the front, ‘Hey, what’s a good thing to do within walking distance? Oh, it’s a Friday night, what can I do tonight? I’m bored.’ You don’t have to just buy something. We can literally be a concierge for the city,” said Alex.

He’s also creating a walking map that shows people how to use the free Downtown Area Shuttle to get to local businesses and where they can find some locals’ favorite Friday night activities. Alex hopes to release the guide in January—around the same time as the store’s grand opening.

The store also features a community workspace and will regularly host board game nights “because we are giant nerds,” Alex says.

THE ‘AHA MOMENT’

Kayla says her vision for Oh, Hello Co. started with a company trip overseas.

“I was in Italy and there was this lady who could not speak any English and she was like handmaking these journals. And I came back home and I was like, ‘I want to do this.’ Maybe a little bit bigger than a shoe box, but I wanted to have my own space to create things that were more than you could find at a grocery store or a Hallmark (store),” Kayla said.

“It was one of those like ‘Aha’ moments. This is what I wanted to do,” she added.

Kayla started selling on Etsy in 2014 and her business quickly climbed to the top tier for sales.

“Within the first three months, we were making more money than both of our salaries. So Alex quit his job first because I had better health benefits, and then shortly after, I quit mine. And we’ve been doing it ever since,” said Kayla.

BECOMING BRICK-AND-MORTAR: ‘IT’S BEEN A RIDE’

This is the Bendas’ first brick-and-mortar store.

“It just felt like time, I think. And we love Grand Rapids so much that we wanted to become a part of it and have a footprint and a place that we could call our own,” said Kayla.

The couple says they checked out places like Eastown and East Grand Rapids, but a potential incentive from the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority made their decision easy.

“We found out that there’s a grant that they were giving out that if you move a retail store downtown, they’ll give you half of your rent for 18 months, and that was huge. When you’re buying everything for a store—when we moved in, there weren’t even light bulbs in the ceiling — and we had to put everything in. That’s super expensive and not everyone is made of money and loans are hard, “ said Alex.

When the spot on Monroe Center near Division Avenue opened up, it seemed serendipitous.

“We sat outside and talked to people who were walking by and the majority of them were tourists, which I found really interesting because they were like ‘Oh, I got some spare time after a conference and they didn’t really have anywhere to go and shop for local items,” said Kayla. “(Also) there wasn’t really a place for locals to shop local as well. So we wanted to kind of get two birds with one stone.”

The Bendas have invested about $25,000 of their business revenue into the store, in addition to $20,000 of their personal savings.

Since the couple got the keys to their store, they’ve learned a lot, including why you shouldn’t paint color swatches outside in fall, when Michigan’s temperature can drastically change from one day to the next.

“So many things they don’t teach you in school we have done in the past 40 days,” said Kayla. “I now understand all types of barcodes. That is the knowledge I’m willing to share to the one person who wants to know.”

“YouTube is my favorite friend right now,” said Alex, adding that he learned how to create the store’s neon sign from a tutorial on the site.

While ownership has come with lots of lessons, one thing hasn’t changed.

“I think our entire business model since Day One was support other businesses,” said Kayla. “There’s so many big businesses out there that are doing it cheaper, but the quality and the passion and the dedication are within those small businesses.”

“Oh, Hello Paper & Gifts is us, it’s the community, it’s people – your neighbors, your sister who is making things and selling them. You’re helping real people feed their cats. Our cats are very hungry critters,” said Kayla, eliciting a laugh from her husband.

“This space isn’t about us — we’re just the custodians. I really think this space is about Grand Rapids,” he added. “This store is about helping Grand Rapids realize just — we’re a mirror — how beautiful Grand Rapids is. And we just want to reflect that back.”

The Bendas have been documenting their entrepreneurial journey, which you can find on the Oh, Hello Living YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/UnderTheMicroscope22.

Oh, Hello Co. Paper & Gifts will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Jan. 10 at 4 p.m.