It Happened in Crawford County: Sharon Cooper helps keep Bucyrus vendors on the map

Sharon Cooper is a daughter of Dave and Miriam Kalb Cooper. She has five siblings: Mary Ann Cooper, Carolyn Greter, Dawn Cooper, Sarah Johnson and Dan Cooper. Dave started Cooper’s County Market on Ohio 19 north of Bucyrus in 1969. There was a picnic table in front of the house with fresh produce. Sharon recalls the Olde Time Days Fall Festival at the farm. She also remembers the canning jars stacked in boxes to the ceiling. They sterilized them in mom’s kitchen by running them through the dishwasher and boiling the lids. Imagine all that work and raising a big family, too.

Sharon started school at Holmes Liberty, recalling there wasn’t any internet and friends were very special. She was in the Honor Society, president of Spanish Club and enjoyed the arts. She wanted to be a "flag girl" but dad said, “no, you have to stay home and work.” Sharon said it didn’t break her heart. Sharon graduated from Wynford High School in 1982 and enrolled in Ashland College for a double major in hospitality management and marketing. She graduated from Ashland College in 1986 and then went to Cleveland for two years working as an assistant hotel manager at the Skylight Inn.

Sharon returned home in 1988 when her dad was talking about moving the business. The following year in 1989, they moved into town at the old Oberlander Cider Mill building and changed the name to Cooper’s Mill. Sharon became the bookkeeper and sales manager. They sold apple butter, jams and jellies, meats and cheese mainly to surrounding states. Later, they sold their products all over the U.S. She had the joy of watching the business grow and grow. They kept the greenhouses and, in the spring, the wooden tables were loaded down with flower and vegetable plants along the south side of the building and part of the front — fresh strawberries in the spring, summer corn, melons, delicious peaches and apples in the fall. The entire family was very involved in the business. Many people would find the Cooper family and employees at the Yankee Peddler, Roscoe Village and Shaker Woods Festivals while they cooked apple butter and kettle corn.

One unplanned event that happened at the market was the time Sharon actually dropped dead. There wasn’t any brain activity, and she was on total life support and had turned blue. Her oldest sister Mary Ann performed CPR on her for 10 minutes. Sharon recalls nothing about it for an entire week. They called her the "miracle girl." The late Dr. Michael Johnson said there wasn’t any medical reason for her to be alive; at the same time pointing his finger to heaven. Sharon has an arrhythmia and ended up with a pacemaker and a defibrillator.

Sharon’s parents retired in 2013 and the new owners are Jason and Justin McMullen, who also developed Crossroads Candle Company on the north end of town. Sharon continued on with the wholesale side of Cooper’s Products and later selling Crossroads Candles.

Sharon knew the Chuck Pfeifer family; they were neighbors of the Cooper family. Ken Stuckey and Laura Pfeifer Stuckey were planning on opening the south building of Pickwick. The three buildings were used for racehorses. Sharon saw an opportunity and applied for a job, thinking that if she was going to make a move, now was the time. When the Stuckeys finalized their plans, Sharon took a job there in 2019 managing the stalls and the girls she works with. She began promoting the mall, trying to get vendors to sign up and bring in their crafts — many handmade items. Currently, they have over 80 vendors and a waiting list. Sharon says no one really wants to leave, they are selling well and it takes a long time to get a booth. Sharon also developed a map so that people can find hot spots to visit here in Bucyrus. She has a big list. People forget just how many places Bucyrus has to offer.

The owners of Pickwick Place are Kent and Laura Stuckey, Chris and Andrea Schimpf, and Ethan and Hannah Stuckey. Sharon commented “they are wonderful people to work for.”

Sharon has three children: Caitlyn Sparks (Spencer Temple) and their new baby Ella; Amanda (Boston Ballmer), who is married and living in Michigan; and Nathan Sparks, who lives in Columbus.

“Bucyrus is home! I grew up with my Cooper family business, enjoyed that adventure and now equally enjoying being a part of the Pickwick Family Business," she added.

Go online for more of Mary Fox’s stories and photos on bucyrustelegraphforum.com. If you are interested in sharing a story, write Mary Fox, 931 Marion Road, Bucyrus, OH 44820 or email littlefoxfactory@columbus.rr.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Crawford County native Sharon Cooper continuing a family tradition