Meet Bri Mangum: Owner of Thirty-two 8 Inspired & Co. in Hartville

Bri Mangum, the owner of Thirty-two 8 Inspired & Co. in Hartville, opened her business in the previous Schoner Chevrolet buildings on South Prospect Avenue two and half years ago. The company offers space for local artisans to sell their crafts and goods.

“The red house that we call home to our business was originally built by the Schoners of Schoner Chevrolet in 1900," she said. "When we were renovating, we found their name written on a rafter upstairs. We have had a lot of wonderful feedback from the community on how we have restored the building. We were blessed to win the Lake Chamber's Community Betterment Award this year for our efforts in revitalizing our little corner of the block.”

Mangum graduated from Green High School and University of Akron, and served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years. She lives with her husband Justin, 5-year-old son Jasper and 3-year-old daughter Isla. The family has a dog named Dagger.

“I graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in exercise science," Mangum said. "I served my time on active duty in the Air Force as an intelligence officer. I left active duty after my son was born and I joined the Air Force Reserves so that I could spend more time with him."

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Share some details about Thirty-two 8 Inspired & Co.

Thirty-two 8 (328) is the street address for our building. We are a faith-driven business and when we took possession of the property we were curious if there was a verse in the Bible tied to 32:8 or 3:28.

What we found was Psalm 32:8: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you."

We felt that so many things had lined up perfectly in order for us to jump into this new venture, that it was important to recognize and glorify God in the journey and outcome. We have a motto at the store "Love Your Neighbor, Shop Local" and that comes from a different bible verse Proverbs 3:28: "Do not say to your neighbor, 'Come back tomorrow and I'll give it to you' — when you already have it with you."

To us, it's important to educate our customers on how their money goes further and supports their actual neighbors and community when they shop locally and not from big box chains.

How did you come up with the idea?

The beginning of this big idea weighed on my heart for some time before I decided to share it with my husband. I was feeling a little lost in the throes of stay-at-home motherhood amid COVID, especially after having such an intense military career.

I've always had a passion for creating and I'm always dabbling in some kind of craft or art. I finally told my husband I needed something that was for me, beyond being at home. I love my children, but I felt like I was losing a bit of my identity in COVID seclusion.

My initial idea was to start creating jewelry and floral arrangements to sell on Etsy. My husband was very supportive and even ventured to guess that if I was feeling this way, there must be other mothers feeling the same kind of way, and from there, my little idea grew with his support and encouragement.

We decided we wanted to create a storefront to give other creative mothers a platform to sell their goods and have a little bit of something that was their own. That idea grew to encompass all handmade goods makers in the area and now we are home to over 100 Ohio small businesses.

What has the feedback from Stark countians been?

Our community has been an incredible force in our success from day one.

We absolutely adore having so many customers who not only support us but whom we feel are a part of this big 32:8 family. The most common thing we hear from first-time visitors is that we are their new 'go-to' spot for gifts.

We not only want to be a place for makers to be seen by the community but a place for anyone to come to and feel loved and see how valued they are.

What was your motivation to open the shop?

My primary motivation for the shop was for it to be an outlet for makers and a place for them to grow their small businesses.

I wanted to focus on supporting mothers, too, which led us to create a playroom for our makers to be able to work with their kids with them or for customers to be able to enjoy time shopping without worrying about their kids.

We also wanted to be a place where makers could sell their goods without having to man their area/booth like they would at markets, which frees them up to focus on their families, skills, etc — not having to set up/take down booths every weekend or be dependent on good weather to sell their goods.

Would you share a couple of talents or activities that people may not know about you?

On top of running a business and being a full-time mom ... I just finished up my first season as my son's baseball coach!

I've always loved working with children. When I was stationed in Georgia, I coached softball (which I played extensively growing up) and basketball (which I've never played competitively a day in my life, ha!).

Editor's note: Five questions with ... is a Sunday feature that showcases a member of the Stark County community. If you'd like to recommend someone to participate, send an email to newsroom@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: 5 questions with Bri Mangum, owner of Thirty-two 8 Inspired