The Wells County Chamber of Commerce staff and Ambassadors recognized Josh Hunt and his staff at Craigville Appliance, 2382 N Main St, Craigville, on November 2 as the Member of the Month.
A small business in Craigville, Indiana opened in 1919 called Craigville Garage. Ownership changed in 1984 with the name changing to Craigville Hardware. In 1991, a third family, Daniel and Christine Hunt, purchased the business to provide service work for appliances; it resulted in the business changing names to Craigville Appliance.
Daniel decided that if an appliance couldn’t be fixed, a new one needed to be bought by the customer. Therefore, the idea to start an appliance center was born.
Daniel and Christine Hunt’s son, Josh, started working with the business in high school. After completing college in 2005, Josh became the General Manger. Dan has started to scale back his hours at the business, but still does service work.
Craigville Appliance has grown over the years; selling scratch and dent appliances, reconditioned appliances (when available), appliance parts, commercial zero turn lawn mowers and residential mowers, hand held equipment, chainsaws, pressure washers, string trimmers, leaf blowers, and service equipment.
Josh Hunt explains, “We’ve been selling Ferris Lawn Mowers since 2007 and that sparked a lot of growth for the business. A high majority of appliances and equipment Craigville Appliance sells are made in the US. We don’t sell things that go in a UPS truck either.”
People have been coming to this location for 98 years and we have no plans of changing that. “People know we are doing a good thing and for some, this is a destination. They have been coming here since they were kids. We love to hear the customers stories and there is a lot of rich history with this place. When people remember a special place as a kid growing up and have those fond memories, that defines your community. We have a lot of loyal customers with those small-town memories,” adds Josh Hunt.
The staff at Craigville Appliance work hard to build relationships with their clients. “We want people to feel welcome when they come here and feel like they are a part of our family. This is a family-oriented environment and we take care of one another,” says Josh Hunt.
Josh Hunt concludes, “Trust and our word are everything to us. Integrity is important, and we don’t take it for granted. We appreciate our customers’ business and how much they mean to us. We honestly love our customers.”
Pictured in the photo left to right:
Heather Morgan, National Oil, Chamber Ambassador
Teresa Dunnuck, Craigville Appliance
Kevin Pritchard, Ruoff Mortgage, Chamber Ambassador
Sean Stinson, Craigville Appliance
Paul Dietrich, Craigville Appliance
Quentin Middleton, Craigville Appliance
Joe Stroup, Craigville Appliance
Josh Hunt, Craigville Appliance
Taylor (Ted) Graham, Craigville Appliance
Spencer Harris, Craigville Appliance
Bryan Jensen, Craigville Appliance
Jeanne Ploetz, Creative Arts Council, Chamber Ambassador
Rita Haneline, Markle Health & Rehab, Chamber Ambassador
Erin Prible, Wells County Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director
Not pictured: Daniel Hunt, Christine Hunt, Lisa Miller, Joe Eisenhut, Arlene Loker with Craigville Appliance