Nankin Hobby is a family business now in its third generation, and the business' development has been as gradual and organic as families often grow. Beginning as as Westland hardware store, co-owner Chris Wrigley's grandparents added hobby supplies to the mix in the 1960. About seven years ago, Wrigley opened a second location of the business in Farmington with an exclusive focus on hobbies. Now, the family is preparing to grow again with the opening of Nankin Hobby on Washtenaw Ave. in Ypsilanti.
"We wanted to expand and we wanted to go out west," says Wrigley. "Ypsi and Ann Arbor are both locations that are getting bigger and bigger, and there is only one hobby shop that I know of in either. It's an untapped resource."
The 6,800 square foot Nankin Hobby store began cosmetic renovations in September and now the business is busy stocking shelves and preparing to open. Wrigley hopes to be open in a couple of weeks, in time to cater to holiday shoppers. The store will carry a variety of remote control gadgets, model-building and craft supplies.
Wrigley and co-owners Robert Rates and Gary Wrigley plan to continue the growth of the business with additional locations, but Wrigley says they're in no rush to expand too quickly.
"We're just going one step at a time," he says. "But we do look to be opening more locations in the future."
Nankin Hobby will open with a staff of four to five employees.
Source: Chris Wrigley, Nankin Hobby
Writer: Natalie Burg
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