Garwell's Sign Lives On

Although the former Garwell's Bait & Tackle store was demolished in September (which I wrote about here), a little bit of the original store lives on at its former location.

The cutout lettering spelling out GARWELL’S above the store entrance did not disappear in a pile of smoking rubble like so much of Old Lorain.

Mary Garwell-Ziegman, whose parents opened the business back in 1950, recently told me that the letters had been repurposed by her husband as a sign on their pole barn, which sits behind where the store used to be.

It’s a nice little homage to her family’s well-remembered business.

The Garwell entrepreneurial sprit lives on as well. As Mary explained to me, "A few weeks ago I signed a lease on a store front in North Ridgeville (near the intersection of Rt. 83 and Center Ridge Rd.). I call it Second Chances Consignment Thrift Shop – where I even offer fishing tackle!”

Mary invites her friends to stop in and visit her at her store if they are ever in the area.

Goodbye, Garwell's

Over the long weekend, I noticed that the old Garwell’s Bait & Tackle store was being torn down. A large dumpster had been parked on the property for a week or two, so I knew it was a matter of time.

Courtesy Lorain County Auditor

The business had been closed for almost twenty years. But seeing the store, which dated back to 1950, always brought back memories of the good old days in Lorain, when Garwell’s was the first stop on the weekend for many local fishermen.

A June 8, 1968 article in the Chronicle-Telegram noted, “After working with area fishermen for 18 years, George Garwell can supply the sportsman with about every conceivable item – including knowledgeable advice – necessary for the successful fishing trip.

In the article, Garwell observed, “Although we try to have everything for the fisherman, we still specialize in the supplying of all kinds and types of baits.

“If anyone has a question on fishing, I would be happy to help, although unlike my merchandise I can’t guarantee it,” said Garwell.

I remember my father stopping at Garwell’s many times when he was taking my brothers and me fishing (which I wrote about here). As I mentioned before, I can still hear that bubbling tank with the minnows in it. Thus it was kind of sad to see the building torn down.

The building in 2018

The view on Saturday

The view on Sunday

That western approach to Lorain sure has changed a lot in the last few years, with all of the various motels and former restaurants being demolished, and erased from our collective memories.

Anyway, I contacted my old Admiral King Class of 1977 classmate Mary Garwell-Ziegman to let her know how sorry I was to see her family's store come down. She thanked me and responded, "I’m proud that my parents ran a reputable business; it was great when Lorain was booming. Even today, I hear stories from strangers that have fond memories. 

"I liquidated on eBay when I closed the doors to the public in 2000.”

These days Mary stays busy by running her own (non-fish related) business, Mary’s Mobile Boutique.

Fishy Memories

The sign in front of the closed store

I've driven past the former Garwell's store on Route 6 several times in the last few weeks, and it reminded me of how Dad tried to make fishermen out of my brothers and me. The sad truth is that I never developed a fondness for the piscatorial racket.

This is despite the fact that fishing ran in our family. The family photo album is filled with vintage shots of Grandpa Bumke from various fishing trips in Michigan, either grinning with a fish he had caught, or with his buddies in a cabin or boat. Dad liked fishing too, and I guess he wanted to share his enjoyment of the sport with us.

During those fishing years of the 1960s, it seems like almost every Saturday we headed somewhere different: Hot Waters; behind the Water Treatment Plant in Lorain; Mill Hollow; the Oberlin Reservoir; the Kipton Reservoir (now known as the Kipton Reservation); and the grounds of Fathers of St. Joseph out on Case Road in Avon.

The side of the Garwell's store, circa 2009

And each fishing trip started with a stop at Garwell's for bait. I can still hear the bubbling hum of the store's minnow tank.

But unfortunately we weren't very good little fishermen. We were constantly snagging our lines on rocks. Then Dad would have to unsnag them for us, or cut the line and set us up again with hooks. Inevitably, we would snag them again, and he would smile while trying to hide his disgust.

Sometimes we shattered our bobbers on the rocks. We even managed to get our lines caught in trees while casting!

It's a miracle that Dad ever got any fishing done himself, since he was constantly interrupted by our comical hijinks. But, he was a patient man and almost always caught at least a few fish.

After Dad gave up fishing with us, he fished with a few of his work buddies in the 1970s and 80s. One of them had a boat, and they would go out on Lake Erie, usually by the David-Besse Nuclear Power Station near Port Clinton.

During those years, we ate a lot of fish. The family freezer was always jammed with perch and walleye.

When I came back to Lorain after college, I tried once again to take up fishing. (I was unemployed and had plenty of time.) So I would head down to Hot Waters with one of Dad's old rods. Dad even brought me along fishing out on the lake a few times with his pals. I just remember being nervous and nauseous in the boat. So that was the end of my fishing career once and for all.

Despite Dad's best efforts to make me a fisherman, I just never got hooked.

But I cherish the memories of those days in the 60s when Dad spent all that time with my brothers and me on those Saturday afternoons.