Mahoning Valley business roundup: Schwebel's closes, new owners revive local spots
The Mahoning Valley’s business landscape shifted this week with a century-old bakery winding down operations, a beloved family restaurant reopening under new ownership and a drive-in theater finding new caretakers just in time for summer.
Here’s a look at five stories shaping local business across the region.
Schwebel Baking Company to close after more than 100 years
The Youngstown-based bakery founded by Joseph and Dora Schwebel more than a century ago is shutting down, according to Mahoning Matters.
Steve Cooper, CEO of Schwebel Baking Company, said the board of directors decided to wind down operations and pursue formal liquidation after evaluating alternatives and considering the company’s financial condition. Schwebel’s intends to operate through the Fourth of July weekend.
“The Schwebel’s brand has been known for the highest quality of bread, buns and other bakery products for over 100 years, and we are devastated to reach the point where liquidation is the only remaining option,” Cooper said. “We’ve worked with our advisors for several months to identify a buyer or investment source, however despite significant efforts to adapt to changing market conditions and secure additional investment, the company was unable to establish a sustainable path forward.”
The company said Schwebel’s has faced significant operational and financial constraints for many years, including aging manufacturing facilities and equipment. The wind-down will include bakeries in Youngstown and Hebron and retail stores and distribution centers across Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
Schwebel’s bread, buns and rolls have been available as branded and private-label fresh bakery products for retail, grocery, food service and institutional customers across the tri-state area.
“The board of directors, management team, shareholders and the Schwebel family are deeply grateful to our employees for their dedication to the Schwebel’s brand,” Cooper said. “Their hard work, commitment and pride in producing quality bakery products helped build and sustain this company for generations.”
Cooper also thanked customers, business partners, suppliers, retirees and the communities the company has served throughout its 120-year history.
Avalon Family Restaurant reopens in Hanoverton
Avalon Family Restaurant has reopened under new ownership in the village of Hanoverton in Columbiana County, Mahoning Matters reported.
The restaurant at 29835 State Route 30 is now owned and operated by Anita Kastor and Sadie Chilson, who recently celebrated a grand opening after refreshing the space.
Renovations started in April and included installing new dining room flooring, staining the woodwork, patching the roof, painting the exterior, installing new stainless steel in the kitchen and repairing the salad bar. The restaurant also features a hand-painted sign and a newly refinished bar top with replaced bar stools.
“We are truly honored to continue what Avalon has meant to so many over the years,” the new owners wrote on social media. “We are so proud to carry on this tradition.”
The restaurant will be open from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. serving homemade comfort food made fresh daily.
“We know Avalon is more than just a place to eat. It’s where memories were made, stories were shared, and families gathered. We have so much respect for that history and the people who made it special,” the owners wrote on Facebook.
White House Fruit Farm carries on family legacy in Canfield
White House Fruit Farm has been part of the Ohio landscape in Canfield for over a century, and the third generation of the Hull family continues to operate the 200-acre property, according to Mahoning Matters.
The farm started in the care of Jerome Hull, who was also a full-time educator and the Mahoning County superintendent of schools. He raised nine children with his wife, Doris Humes-Hull, on land that included a variety of fruit and fresh-market turkeys. In 1968, the family formed the farm into a fruit and vegetable retail business. David Hull, one of the nine children, restored the farm bank barn 10 years later and developed it into a year-round market with his own family.
Kim Hull Sisco, part of the third generation, grew up on the farm alongside her cousins. David Hull and his children now operate more than 75 acres of fruit and vegetable production alongside the market.
“I say, ‘If you turn around more than twice, you’re going to see another (Hull),’” Hull Sisco said. “Every building and every activity that’s happening here has a family member working in it or right around it.”
Education has remained part of the farm’s operations. Summer events include jam sessions, with strawberry picking, processing and preparing having recently passed in June. The farm will host its Blueberry Jam Session from July 16-18, and although it’s sold out, Blueberry Pick Your Own continues throughout the month.
“If I can bring you out and share the farm with you, educate you about strawberries and how to make jam and you can take that product home with you, we feel like we’ve given something to the community,” Hull Sisco said.
Upcoming activities include Kids U-Pick Flower Arrangements, Sunflowers at Sunset and Sunflowers at Sunrise. The farm is also popularly known for its blueberry doughnuts, with about 30 varieties available on weekdays and a special flavor rotated monthly.
Bardwell family takes over Reynold’s Drive In
Just in time for the summer show season, Reynold’s Drive In announced the Mercer County theater is now being run by Galina, Bill, Nikolay and Lucas Bardwell, Mahoning Matters reported.
Last fall, the families responsible for revitalizing the western Pennsylvania drive-in announced they were looking to retire and transfer ownership. Movie prices will remain the same under new ownership, and Sunday flea markets will continue at the same time and prices.
The first movies shown under new ownership were Toy Story 5 and The Devil Wears Prada 2. The double feature returns June 26 and 27 at the drive-in, located at 3706 North Hermitage Road in Transfer. Gates open at 7 p.m. and movies start at dusk. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids ages four to 12 and free for kids three and under.
B Opulent Studios opens in Warren after 20-year ban lifted
Body piercings are advertised in the storefront window at 269 E. Market St. in Warren — a declaration that wouldn’t have been attainable nearly four years ago for B Opulent Studios, according to Mahoning Matters.
Warren had a law in effect since 2001 that banned body piercings in the city. The city council voted 9-1 to lift the ban after then-Councilwoman Ashley Miner introduced legislation to legalize body piercings, citing owner Samantha Brewer as someone already involved in the industry nearby.
Brewer had taken up piercing at 1st Order Tattoo Co. in Niles after she and her partner opened the business in 2018. In May 2024, she opened B Opulent Studios in downtown Warren.
“I just take care of people, and I think that helps people feel comfortable when they come in here,” Brewer said.
Noelle Baumgartner, a body piercer at the studio, specializes in ear styling, curations and children’s earlobe piercings.
“It’s such a fun atmosphere,” Baumgartner said. “I love working with little kids, getting to see their faces when they’re just so excited about their new ear piercings.”