FOWLER — Sunday drives with the family after church services resulted in Heather and Shawn Curry owning and running the Fowler General Store and Bakery — a family business that has become the hub of the community.

“We were living in Middlefield and going to church at Liberty Bible Church and we would come through here, sometimes, to go back and forth from church and home,” Shawn Curry said.

They discovered the store more than 20 years ago.

“Our oldest, Keegan, was a baby. That’s when we found this place,” Shawn said.

The Niles residents previously worked in food service, and the Currys met through work.

“We worked together at Quaker Steak & Lube in the 1990s. We met in 1994. We’ve been married for 24 years,” he said.

Located in Fowler Center, Shawn found charm in the building, outdoor gazebo and the business itself.

It has the original floor, tin ceiling and is designated a historical landmark.

“Someone could come in and remodel it but I thought I’d leave it just the way it is. It is preserving history. I love the kind of wavy original floors. It was built in 1864, the year before the Civil War ended. There were a lot of local soldiers and families who came here. It is in the middle of farm country and still is. I imagine the conversations that these walls have heard, especially during that time,” Shawn said.

Sometimes, you have to ask for what you want in order to get it. Brookfield High School graduate Shawn Curry did exactly that when it came to Fowler General Store.

“We were here several years ago. I wasn’t looking for a job change. I got out of the food service industry. I had a nice office job and career. I remember I bought a glass bottle of soda and I went up to the counter and I asked for the owner. I told Becky (Lengacher), the owner, who I did not know, ‘If you are ever looking for someone to run this place.’ I would have done it as a hobby. I just loved the atmosphere. I still do. She said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘OK.’ She took my name and number down on a scrap piece of paper, and we sat at the gazebo and finished our treats and left,” Shawn said.

When he least expected it, out of the blue, he heard from Lengacher.

“Two years later, I got a phone call. She said, ‘That piece of paper haunted me. I’ve washed it. I tried throwing it away and it keeps showing up. It fell off the shelf when I was doing laundry.’ I came in and she was ready to move on and sell the place,” Shawn said.

Considered an essential business during the COVID-19 pandemic, the store remained open as he began work there in 2021. He worked there for several months and then bought the store. He has been working there full time ever since.

“A place like this thrived during those conditions. We had eggs and milk. People would call and make an order, and we would bring it out to their car,” Shawn said.

Shawn likes having his own business but has found that it is more consuming of his time than he thought.

“It’s not as easy as it may seem. It’s a lot of work. Heather and I try to get out of here around 2 p.m. but it does not always happen.”

He meets with local vendors at the store and performs other duties that keep he and his wife, Heather, there longer and closer to the end of operating hours.

Shawn and sons Keegan and Titus work at the counter. Son Micah took his turn behind the counter ringing up customers after returning from overseas military duty. Heather Curry makes the desserts and breads. She works in the kitchen as does Keegan’s wife, Allison. Even their youngest son, Archer, 10, has helped out at the store when needed.

“This is a family-run and owned business. We have nonrelatives working here, but they are like family. Running our business with our children teaches them responsibility, dependability and accountability. They see our struggles and successes and that is important,” Shawn said.

Heather became the baker in the kitchen.

“Shelly was here when we started. I learned from her and I figured it out. I had baked, but not in such large quantities,” the Niles High School graduate said. Shelly is still working as a baker there.

Shawn said Shelly taught Heather some of the older recipes and his wife makes all the gluten-free baked goods.

It is their policy to try to use local products for their baked goods, meats and deli, including local honey, milk and ice cream products from Denmandale Dairy. If not local, Shawn said they offer the best quality product they can.

“We buy apples for our apple bread from an orchard. We process all these apples, which seems to take forever to go through the wintertime. We don’t have fresh apples all winter long. We buy several bushels then we start peeling, coring and slicing. We shred them and bag them and freeze them in portion size,” Shawn said.

Heather added that by making their own ingredients and dishes from scratch, they can control the consistency, quality and the cost.

Shawn even smokes his own meats that are sold at the store.

“Brisket is sold on Saturday. Smoked pork is Wednesday and smoked pot roast is Thursday and Saturday. I smoke them the day before for 20 hours,” he said. “I’ve been smoking meats for years. I started doing brisket because everyone said it was the hardest to smoke. I make my own sauces and different rubs. I got tired of not seeing in the store what I wanted to taste. I ruined a lot of pieces of meat as I learned. I started doing smoked meats for family gatherings and I’ve been offering it here since we opened.”

Heather added, “I bake and Shawn meats.”

She also could be referring to how Shawn likes to meet the customers and interact with them at the store.

He sees the Fowler General Store and Bakery as more than just providing food and other goods in this rural area.

“The goal of our store is to honor God, be a light in our community, provide quality goods and service, and to be able to do this to pay our bills. This is our full- time passion,” Shawn said.