ASHLAND — Irwin’s Office Equipment will be shutting its doors on Nov. 1 after 65 years of family-owned business.
Marti Irwin took full ownership of the business roughly 20 years ago from her husband Tom Irwin, who passed away in 2017. His brother Jim, who also co-owned the business, passed away in 2018.
Tom and Jim were the second-generation owners after their parents Dean and Marjorie founded the store in 1960.
With her 20 years of ownership, and more than 30 years she spent working in the store prior, Marti is ready to retire Irwin’s altogether.
“We are well-supported by this community. The city and county give us lots of business,” she said.
Marti is retiring alongside her five employees who work at the store with her, most of which have worked with her for years.
“I’ve had good people backing me up,” Marti said.
Although the physical store will shut its doors after Oct. 31, beginning Nov. 1, Irwin’s customers will be transferred to FriendsOffice, where they can place orders online.
Marti said she picked FriendsOffice because they are another longtime-operating Ohio business based in Findlay.
“They have the same goals as us: they want the best for their customers,” Marti said.
FriendsOffice offers the same product lines of office supplies and furniture that Irwin’s carried, including break-room essentials, janitorial supplies, commercial printing, promotional products and more, according to a press release.
“We are honored to welcome Irwin’s customers and look forward to continuing the high level of service they’ve come to expect,” President and CEO of FriendsOffice Ken Schroeder said in a press release. “FriendsOffice shares the same Ohio roots and commitment to supporting local businesses.”
Marti said she’s happy someone else will take care of her customers. On Oct. 22, a FriendsOffice representative came to Ashland to meet some of the customers.
She said the process of closing the store has preoccupied her time, so she has not had the chance to think about how she feels about retiring.
“I’ve been in this business for 50 years; I never imagined to see it as it is today,” Marti said. “I’m pretty proud to be a part of Ashland.”
Irwin’s impact stretches beyond Ashland, though. Diane Lindo now lives in Minnesota, but she has never forgotten her first job at Irwin’s, which she started in 1992.
Lindo visits Ashland three times a year to visit her sister, and each visit she stops into Irwin’s to catch up with Marti and other employees.
“I was sad to hear that they are closing,” Lindo said.
Lindo said her time working at Irwin’s was brief, but the team made her feel welcomed and appreciated. She noted that Marti got her a birthday card and present after only part-time working there for less than a month.
Lindo will be making a visit to her sister prior to Irwin’s closing, and she looks forward to stopping in one last time and saying goodbye.
As for the future of the soon-to-be empty business space, conveniently located off Main Street, Marti is unsure what to do with it as of now.
Irwin’s expanded to what was once three store fronts, so the large space could be sold as one, or broken into smaller, separate stores.
Marti said once she has taken care of closing the store, she will look into her options, which include selling the store or renting it out.