BEN FRANKLIN CRAFTS AND FRAMING
Kristy & Jeff Smith
socio-economic factors, so they took a leap of faith,
closed their two stores and moved south in 1989.”
The Smiths ran the popular New Albany Ben
Franklin until they retired in 2000 and passed the
mantle on to sons Jeff and Dane and their wives,
Kristy and Diann. The team of four now manage
Ben Franklin and the attached Ben’s Boutique
specialty store together, parceling out roles to fit
their talents.
“Everyone has their job,” said Kristy. “I do the
displays and change the seasons out and help with
the buying. Diann is the floor manager, working with
employees and setting the sales and connecting
with customers. Dane watches over the frame
shop, and Jeff is a jack of all trades – from running
the finance and business end to driving our truck
when needed,” she added, with a laugh.
And, don’t forget the next generation in the wings.
“Between us, we have five children – Tyler, Ryan,
Logan, Rylie and Luke – who have all worked in the
store,” said Kristy. “They are the future.”
“I never knew I’d end up doing this,” admitted
Jeff Smith. “But the opportunity arose when I was
in college studying business, and I went for it.”
We do that as much as possible to keep the growth
in our community.”
“A Target is a Target is a Target,” added Kristy.
“What makes each community special are the
family-owned businesses like ours that care about
their neighbors and customers.”
The Smiths maintained the philosophy of
building an inventory tailored to local customers’
needs and focused on buying and selling products
from local artisans and craftspeople. That extends
to wood products from Diverse Woodworking in
Lanesville, to Silver Creek Leather in Jeffersonville,
Kaiser Wholesale, Master Frame Supply, and
hand-made grapevine wreaths by Morris, which
is located across the river in Kentucky. The Smiths’ 18 employees are also considered
part of the extended family. Many have been with
the store for more than 20 years and are welcome,
friendly faces to customers.
“We buy local whenever we can,” said Jeff. “That’s
our family philosophy. You get the best service
dealing with people who know you and are local. The staff at Ben Franklin eagerly dives into personal
projects for customers, from craft and holiday
projects, to school assignments and church activities.
“People feel comfortable coming here,” said
Kristy. “You get personal attention and help. Our
employees are people who knit, who quilt, who
paint. They use the products that we carry, so that
they can offer advice to customers.”
EXTOL : FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019
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