The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Resident opens menagerie store
A leisurely browse through Delight’s This and That Store in Berlin Heights could turn up a treasure of memorabilia or collectibles.
At age 83, Delight Heckelman opened the store June 17 at 20 E. Main St. with a flea market menagerie of items.
“We had garage sales at home, usually once a year in the summertime,” Heckelman said. “And we thought this would be nice to be able to bring things in and set them down and not have to carry them back and forth. This has been a family affair.
“When we bought it, we had to restore the floor. That took a lot of family work, tearing up the old carpet and flooring and things. So everybody helped with that.
“I have a son-in-law, Lew Kalin, who replaced some of the ceiling tiles and other repairs.”
Heckelman’s daughter Ann Heckelman, who regularly helps at the store, also placed a coin collection for sale.
A lifelong resident of Berlin Heights, Heckelman said her parents chose her name through acquaintances.
“I had an older brother; he played with a little girl named Delight sometimes,” she said. “My parents thought it was such a pretty name. When I came along, my name was waiting for me.”
Among the five children, Heckelman and her late husband raised four daughters.
“They and their families all live in this area,” she said. “Some of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren are off in other states, but the ones who live close, helped get this store ready.”
Her daughter, Doris Gens, creates homemade quilts.
“She has a long arm quilter; it does the quilting after she makes the top,” Heckelman said. “She belongs to the Milan quilting group. She made the Bicentennial quilt for the historical society that is going to be raffled at the Berlin Heights Basket Festival.”
The store also sells cookbooks designed by Heckelman with the history of Berlin Township on the backs of the divider pages, and local advertisements, she said.
Friends added their specialties to the mix of available items as well.
Amy Hunter, a garden club member, rented space in the store for Amy’s Fresh Florals, offering fresh and silk flowers and special bouquets, Heckelman said.
“And we have Hoy’s Toys,” she said, adding she appreciates the efforts of Valerie Hoy, the owner. “This is one of the women who went to school at Edison. She has her own line of products.
“She developed all these books for children. She has
toys. And we have other people who bring things in for consignment.
“Mine are mostly collectibles. I’ve got the tea sets and Norman Rockwell. And we’re always changing things out. All the family brings things in. We had a request for old cameras, so we brought in a whole table of old cameras in the back.”
The store name developed from attempts to describe the merchandise.
“We didn’t have one specialty,” Heckelman said. “More than one person said, ‘Well, it’s this and that.’ So we went with that one. We have odds and ends, this and that.”
One of Heckelman’s hobbies is genealogy, so she belongs to the Berlin Heights Historical Society.
“We have one man who does woodworking,” she said. “He belongs to the historical society. He makes music boxes, candy dishes, cutting boards, stools, a child’s bookcase.”
In a turnstile case, varieties of pocket watches shine.
“That was one of my husband’s hobbies,” Heckelman said. “He repaired clocks and pocket watches. That was his harmonica. We have belt buckles.”
Delight’s This and That Store is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. During the Basket Festival, the store is open 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 4, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 5, with a
Hoys Toys coloring contest for children in six age categories to age 16.
Winners will be announced at 8 p.m., Aug. 5, and each will receive an activity book valued at $15 and an Edison Abstract Tshirt in their size.
After raising five children, Heckelman said she attended college and worked as a computer programmer
at the NASA Plum brook Station in Sandusky, so she considers opening a store as her third career.
“It just seemed like the right thing to do,” Heckelman said.
“Berlin Heights is a small community. We grew up here. We know everybody, just about. They’re friendly people.”
“We didn’t have one specialty. More than one person said, ‘Well, it’s this and that.’ So we went with that one. We have odds and ends, this and that.”
— Delight Heckelman