After closing briefly last summer, Stimmel’s Market, formerly a gourmet food and wine store, reopened in July 2009 as a delicatessen and bakery.
The market closed for a couple months due to expansion difficulties, according to Matthew Stimmel.
“We are sorry we were gone for a little bit, but we are happy to be back,” Stimmel said. “We originally came back as just a bakery but with all the money we made during our reopening we were able to then reopen the deli shortly after.”
The family-owned business first opened a little over six and a half years ago.
“My father is the majority share holder of the market and is in charge of all the office work,” he said. “My wife and I work here, along with my nephew. My niece worked here last year, but recently graduated from the University.”
The market is located at 1220 W. Wooster St., just past Wood County Hospital and a mile from Main Street downtown.
“We do not have the beer and wine selection that we once had, but our bakery and deli are great,” Stimmel said. “The farmers market is actually held in our parking lot from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and during that time we have promotional items to make it more of a festive atmosphere for the residents of the city.”
Stimmel said the bakery and deli are in competition with each other when it comes to popularity.
“The sandwiches at the deli are the most popular item we sell at the bakery, hands down,” he said. “They’re all made with Boars Head Brand meats and cheese and the finest ingredients. They are all put on bread we make fresh everyday at the bakery, and are topped with condiments we make from scratch.”
The deli also caters events with sandwiches, party subs and homemade potato, chicken and macaroni salads.
“We sell pounds and pounds of our potato and macaroni salad every day,” he said. “It’s a favorite among the customers.”
Each evening just after closing, the Market comes back to life as they mix, bake, fill and glaze until dawn so when customers come in for their morning coffee, their favorite baked goods are waiting. They also have doughnut delivery and bring baked goods to churches and departmental meetings on a regular basis, according to the market’s website.
Pemberville resident Katie Bruning said she frequently shopped at Stimmel’s Market before it closed.
“I used to go out of my way to get their meat and cheeses because they have Boars Head products, which have no preservatives,” Bruning said. “Since I work in Bowling Green, I used to stop by every once and a while, either for the meat or for wine.”
Bruning said she hadn’t visited the market since their reopening a little over a year ago until now because she was unaware they had reopened.
“They were a market that people would go to when they wanted something special and out of the ordinary, like customized gift baskets with cheese, crackers, barbecue sauce, peppers, olives — anything really,” she said. “They also used to have specialty beers and wines and held tasting events every once and a while. Now that I know they’re reopened, I’ll come back for the same reason as before: their deli.”
