Iconic Ben Franklin Variety Store to close in Canton

Charita M. Goshay, The Repository
Updated ·4 min read
Ben Franklin, a variety and frame shop in Canton, owned by Larry and Debbie Donohue since 1979 is closing its doors after six decades. (Photo: Julie Vennitti Botos)
Ben Franklin, a variety and frame shop in Canton, owned by Larry and Debbie Donohue since 1979 is closing its doors after six decades. (Photo: Julie Vennitti Botos)
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CANTON − When the Ben Franklin Variety Store opened in 1962 in Canton, John F. Kennedy was president.

"Vietnam" had not yet become a part of the national conversation. Dee Dee Sharp, Bobby Vinton and Chubby Checker dominated the pop charts.

The British Invasion, led by the Fab Four, was still a year away.

The variety and frame shop owned by Larry and Debbie Donohue since 1979 at 803 30th St. NE is about to close its doors after six decades.

A candy aisle at Ben Franklin, a variety and frame shop in Canton which is closing its doors after six decades.
A candy aisle at Ben Franklin, a variety and frame shop in Canton which is closing its doors after six decades.

The Donohues, the third set of owners of the Canton store, said three factors led to their decision.

Larry Donohue said they expect an increase in the rent.

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Some of the items available at Ben Franklin, a variety and frame shop in Canton, which is closing its doors after six decades.
Some of the items available at Ben Franklin, a variety and frame shop in Canton, which is closing its doors after six decades.

"We can't afford that," he said, adding that the store's lease is up at the end of June. "Everybody says no one is irreplaceable, but that's not true when you own a business; at least, my wife is irreplaceable. Plus, we have three employees retiring."

Debbie Donohue said the economy also has taken a toll on the franchise.

Larry Donohue, who has been in retail for 64 years, said the challenges to remain in business have only grown, including the economics of the city itself.

At one point, Larry Donohue owned three Ben Franklin franchises until consolidating them in 2000.

The difficulties currently affecting the supply chain are real, he said.

"I've never seen wholesale prices increase as dramatically as they have," he said. "Small retailers can't get the discounts."

Stepping into a Ben Franklin Variety Store is like walking into a different era, which is part of its charm.

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The store's roots go back to Butler Brothers, a Boston wholesale company started in 1877. In 1927, the company added retail in the form of Ben Franklin stores. At their peak, there were 2,500 across the country.

"It was basically a small-town independently owned store," Larry Donahue said. "If you can't find that niche, you're in trouble."

The stores were the original "five-and-dimes," retailers that offer a mish-mash of housewares, jigsaw puzzles, hardware, toys, beauty products, seasonal products, holiday and party decorations, flags, gifts, and the kind of novelty candy that millions of boomer kids used to buy at the corner store.

If you can't find it, they probably have it.

"We try to carry the hard-to-find items," Debbie Donohue said.

A native of Buffalo, Donohue started working for the W.T. Grant Co. after college. He became a regional manager, which brought him to Stark County.

A teenage Debbie Donohue took a job with the W.T. Grant store in Massillon after high school.

"It was located where the Target store is," she said.

The couple, who met at W.T. Grant, have been married for 28 years.

"Twenty-eight good years," Larry Donohue said.

A huge puzzle selection at Ben Franklin in Canton which is preparing to close its doors after six decades.
A huge puzzle selection at Ben Franklin in Canton which is preparing to close its doors after six decades.

The Donohues say the store saw a boom in jigsaw puzzle sales at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Ben Franklin, a variety and frame shop in Canton, has carried Ben Heggy's chocolates since the 1980s. The store is closing after six decades.
Ben Franklin, a variety and frame shop in Canton, has carried Ben Heggy's chocolates since the 1980s. The store is closing after six decades.

Overall, custom picture framing, greeting cards and Heggy's Chocolates, which they added in the 1980s, have been their bread and butter.

"Our customer base has been great over the years," Larry Donohue said.

A large part of Ben Franklin's business is framing.
A large part of Ben Franklin's business is framing.

His wife noted that many of their customers have been generational.

"We have parents and grandparents who shopped here when they were kids, and they bring their kids," she said. "You became friends with a lot of them."

The Donohues said they are looking forward to retirement, but it will be an adjustment.

"My wife has a 'she-shed,' which will keep her busy for the next 100 years," Donahue said with a laugh. "We're both gonna miss it a lot. It's just second nature. This is what we both know. You can't replace it."

Did you know?

∎ At its peak, there were 2,500 Ben Franklin Variety Stores in the U.S.

∎ There are fewer than a dozen Ben Franklin franchises remaining in Ohio.

∎ Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, and Michael J. Dupey, creator of Michael's craft stores, got their starts in retail by owning Ben Franklin franchises.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: CGoshayREP.

Ben Franklin, a variety and frame shop in Canton, is closing its doors after six decades.
Ben Franklin, a variety and frame shop in Canton, is closing its doors after six decades.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Iconic Ben Franklin Variety Store to close in Canton