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= 225 South Court Street = The building located at 225 South Court Street has been in operation since 1872 and supplying Medina with hardware since 1879. This building was first built after the fire in 1870 on the square. Its first owner was Lyman Oatman, who named the building Oatman's Hardware. He owned the store until 1933. In 1933, he sold the store to Willard Stephenson who changed the name to Medina Hardware. Today Medina Hardware is owned by Willard's son Rick Stephenson and attempts to retain as much tradition as possible in today's modern society. = =

Left: (1) Rick Stephenson, manager and owner of Medina Hardware in 2011, shows a group of high school students how the cash register to his store operates. According to Rick Stephenson, it is important to show younger generations how small family businesses operate in order to pass on the idea of tradition that his father, Willard Stephenson, promoted when he first opened Medina Hardware. Middle: (2) Award of Excellence given to the Stephenson Family for their restoration of the storefront. The Stephenson family restored Medina Hardware to its original Victorian-style architecture as part of the city of Medina's attempt to restore historical sites throughout its Public Square. Right: (3) Rick Stephenson holds his family's Award of Excellence while showing a group of students from Medina High School the history of his store, Medina Hardware. Rick Stephenson explained to these students that 225 South Court St. has very deep history, dating all the way back to 1872 to when the store was know as Oatman's.