Wendell August rises from the ashes
SPRINGFIELD TWP, Mercer County — Three and a half years after being devastated by a fire, Wendell August Forge is ready to show off its new $8 million headquarters.
“The new Wendell August is ready to rise from the ashes,” said owner Will Knecht.
It will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 29.
The 52,000-square-foot building on Route 208 has 40,000 square feet for manufacturing and distribution, 8,000 square feet for office space and 4,000 square feet for retail space.
The original building, which was only 19,000 square feet, burned down March 6, 2010. The cause of the fire was a heating element that sparked in one of the lacquer booths. A fire prevention device in the booth failed.
When the fire happened, Knecht said many employees at the scene were in tears. He and employees gathered in a prayer circle.
But after that, he said they were ready to work to rebuild.
“It was like, 'Game on,'” Knecht said.
A new workshop was set up in five days. The office was set up in two weeks. Both are in the former Cooper-Bessemer building on Lincoln Avenue.
The new temporary flagship store in the Slovak Folk Crafts building on Route 208 in Springfield Township was ready in four weeks.
In January, the company closed on 12 acres, about a half-mile west of the Grove City Premium Outlets. The company broke ground in March. The Wessex Corp. of West Middlesex designed and constructed the building.
The building and parking lot take up six acres. Knecht said the other six acres are for expansion.
Knecht said the retail space will be divided into different “sets,” with each set having a different theme and products. A window will give customers a glimpse at some of the craftsmen working with dies.
The retail space also will include a room with a television and seating, which is for people who want to take a break from shopping or wait for friends or family members to finish shopping, Knecht said.
The manufacturing area is designed to be open, giving employees more room to work. Tours of the manufacturing space will be offered.
“We're excited to show our brand of American manufacturing,” Knecht said.The office space will be open with nearly all employees, including Knecht, working in cubicles. Only the chief financial officer will have a separate office.The office area will include a “creative space” with couches for employees to think and get inspiration. Knecht said a 10-year goal of the company is to be named a top 100 workplace in the U.S.Knecht said the fire, despite all of the damage and hardship, made the larger building possible.“This would have been a dream,” Knecht said.The company also has grown since the fire.At the time of the fire, the company had 75 employees. Today, it has 110.In 2011, the company bought Old Forge Metals of Vernon, N.Y., and added that company's pewter casting abilities. In 2012, the company broke into the college store market.Last year, the company began putting its items in Macy's stores in the Midwest.The company, which makes handcrafted heirloom-quality items out of metals, also has stores at the Grove City Premium Outlets, Wilmington, N.C., and Berlin, Ohio.He said the company plans to begin moving in to the retail and office space on Oct. 21. Knecht said the company will be completely out of the temporary locations by early November.The store will have a soft opening Oct. 26. Knecht said the store initially was supposed to open Labor Day, but rain in the spring slowed work.A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 29. Knecht said Gov. Tom Corbett will attend.“It's going to be a great celebration,” Knecht said.Beth Black, executive director of the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce, said it is amazing the company, three years later, is all ready to start again.“We're really excited to help them,” Black said.
