11/29/2023
A Brief History of Ormonds on Main
The Ormonds on Main retail establishment in Mt. Sterling will close at the end of 2023 after 5 years of operation.
The Beginning
Jim Heaton moved his O’Neil business located at 109 West Main Street in 2008 to what is now Mt. Sterling Foods on Pittsfield Road in Mount Sterling. The O’Neil building, built in 1862 had housed a pharmacy and hardware store until 2008.
In 2014 John and Carolyn Ormond purchased the former O’Neil building from Jim Heaton with no specific plan for the building other than renovating it for resale. For several years George O’Neil and family had lived in the apartment above the store during the winter months. The upstairs apartment consisted of 3 large rooms and had not been occupied since the 1960s.
They began the renovation by completely updating the upstairs apartment. The only furnishings kept were a 1930’s metal kitchen cabinet with sink and a bathroom with fixtures dating from 1934. They used ceramic tile in a 1930s design on the bathroom floor and added a shower to the bathtub and a wall to separate the bath from an existing closet. The three main rooms were repainted in popular colors of the 30s, the three front windows replaced, and the wooden floors were freshly varnished. The building is 20’x120’ and has a very long hallway leading from the alley to the apartment. The other side of the hall was mostly unfinished. Ormonds added a bedroom with tiled shower and walk-in closet and laundry area.
They then focused on updating the first floor concentrating on the front 45’ for retail and the back two thirds of the first floor for stock and the Fallen Leaf Pottery studio.
A Dream Is Born
As the remodeling progressed Ormonds’ daughter, Amy Lucky, expressed an interest in creating a clothing and gift shop. It had always been her dream to manage a store which would feature women’s and children’s clothing and gifts.
On August 18, 2018 Ormonds on Main opened its doors, featuring stylish clothing and accessories. Shortly thereafter, Amy’s daughter Cassie Lipcaman and mother Carolyn Ormond, found themselves working the checkout and maintaining the displays of merchandise. A short time later John and Carolyn’s niece Sue Ray was added to the staff and continues being in charge of opening the store for business from Wednesday to Saturday.
Amy did an impressive job of finding sources for minimum purchases of stylish clothing and accessories. It is difficult to find wholesale supplies for small volume retail stores. As the early years passed the business thrived. The store weathered the shutdown during the pandemic until they were able fully reopen again on May 29, 2020. Then in January of 2022 she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She fought bravely but in private. Amy passed from us on May11, 2022, at which point the store was closed and did not reopen until midsummer. We continue to mourn the loss of her sweet smile and cheerful disposition.
Under the management of Ormond’s daughter, Katherine, the business continued operation having replaced clothing with a large selection of natural and flavored olive oils and vinegars. Under her direction the selection of antiques and pottery were expanded.
The End
Carolyn Ormond is retiring from retail but will continue to create hand-formed pottery for her Fallen Leaf Pottery Collection. Both Katherine and Sue are looking forward to retail retirement as well.
Ormonds on Main will cease operation on December 31. We are featuring 50% off all items in the store on December 1.
