Powell General Store

Businesses

Property history:
Minford's Blacksmith Shop
Rufus Warren General Store
Floyd E. Powell General Store
H. H. Seibert Coal & Building Supplies

Minford's Blacksmith Shop
South High Street
Minford, OH 45653

Owner: (possibly William Minford), Frank R. Minford
Year started:
Year ended:

Frank R. Minford, for whom the town of Minford was named, operated a blacksmith shop in the building for many years.
Frank R. Minford died in 1942. His father, William Minford, was also a blacksmith in Minford, At that time the village was called Harrisonville. It is unknown if William operated in the same vicinity as his son, Frank.

minford blacksmith shop

The brick building was the location of Frank Minford's blacksmith shop

Rufus Warren General Store
South High Street
Minford, OH 45653

Owner: Rufus Warren
Year started:
Year ended: 1928

Floyd E. Powell
South High Street
Minford, OH 45653

Owner: Floyd E. Powell
Year started: 1926
Year ended: 1963

The Portsmouth Times, April 26, 1929
The general store conducted by Powell and Powell at Minford, Ohio has the distinction of being one of the best and most completely stocked rural stores in Southern Ohio. The people of the Minford vicinity should feel exceptionally proud that they have a store at their service such as this one.

The Portsmouth Times, January 29, 1963 - Floyd Powell Retires, Ends Era at Minford
Floyd Powell, butcher, general store operator, coal dealer and volunteer fireman has retired after 36 years in business in Minford. He remains active only as a volunteer fireman, as a captain of the Minford department he helped organize.

Powell has sold his coal and building supplies firm--which he had operated since 1942--to H. H. Seibert of Minford, an employee the last 14 years.

Seibert acquired the business, equipment and buildings and will continue it under the name of H. H. Seibert Coal & Building Supplies.

Powell's business career started in 1926 while he still lived on a farm in the Mt. Carmel area. He and a nephew, Blaine Powell, started a butchering business that included wholesale service to Portsmouth merchants.

In November 1928, the Powell's purchased a general store in Minford from Rufus Warren. At that time Minford had another general store--Stockham & Payne--along with Frank Minford's blacksmith shop and garage. Alex Shuter's barber shop, the Knights of Pythias Hall, Minford Methodist Church, a one-room school and a small manual telephone exchange.

In April 1929, Powell and his nephew acquired the other general store, which for years was the community's center of activity. In addition to meats products, they sold groceries, hardware, feed and general merchandise.

Also in April of 1929 Powell & Powell Hauling service began in Minford. They used two trucks, one of a half ton capacity and the other a ton and a half vechile.

Powell purchased his partner's share in 1938 and four years later expanded the business the handle coal sales. Starting with one pickup truck and hauling from mines in Bloom Township, the business gradually increased to carload buying from West Virginia mines.

The store expanded to a self-service market in 1942, but was discontinued in 1948 when Powell expanded the coal business to include building supplies.

At his retirement, Powell operated six trucks and employed five men and an office girl.

During Powell's business career he saw Minford grow to a community of varied businesses that includes a modern telephone company, super markets, greenhouses, dry cleaners, barber shops, hardware and furtniture stores, service stations and garages, a jeweler, two doctors and a 36-room school.

Powell and his wife, the former Ethel Lansing, will continue to reside in Minford. Mrs. Powell taught school several years during the beginning years of her husband's business.

floyd powell