STRONG – Business owners expect the closing of Forster Inc.’s plant in Strong will impact their businesses.

But how bad and how much of an impact it will be, they don’t know yet.

“It’s going to hit us a little bit,” said Debbie Romanoski, who owns Beal’s General Store and The Rib restaurant, with husband Troy.

“If people are going out of town to work,” she said, “they’ll be stopping at other stores where they’re working. We haven’t noticed it yet, but I believe we will be impacted some.”

Workers usually stop for lunch or on the way home for milk and groceries. But people will still need to buy milk and other staples, she said.

Romanoski said she provided about 300 sandwiches for the employees’ farewell lunch at Forster’s last week. She estimated about 400 to 500 customers combined visit the store and restaurant each day, including customers coming in more than once. She expects the closing to have a trickle down effect to her other customers, including woodsmen.

“We use to be the Toothpick Capital of the World,” she said. “and now no toothpicks are made here.”

The couples’ businesses employ 22 people.

The couple put an automated teller machine last year to help customers due to the town’s only bank closing. She said new businesses need to come to the area so people can get jobs.

Down the road a bit, Eileen Miazga, owner of E.J.’s Market said she has scaled down offerings at the store in the last year, as well as closed her restaurant to keep her business successful. Instead of offering six lines of spaghetti, for example she said, she has two lines of spaghetti.

Business closings, including Strong Wood Products and Cousineau Inc. scaled back operation, have affected her business, she said, and she expects Forster Inc.’s closing to do the same.

“I think it will hurt everybody up here,” Miazga said. “I think overall the economy of Franklin County is very depressed.”

“This is such a wonderful area,” she said. “It’s such a good place to live. I have wonderful customers. They have been so supportive of me. I don’t know what the answer is. It’s really sad to see the jobs all leaving.”

Town officials continue to pursue options to get jobs into town, including trying to assist Jarden Corp. in selling the plant. But so far, there have been no buyers, Selectman Perry Ellsworth said.

He said selectmen rejected Jarden Corp.’s offer to sell the plant to the town for several reasons, including the liabilities that come with it – one being the company’s closed landfill that needs to be tested on a regular basis.

“Selectmen decided not to pursue that option at the time,” Ellsworth said, “because we would rather see someone else purchase it. Whoever buys the building will be responsible for the landfill.”

Ellsworth said a group has been meeting on Sunday nights to discuss economic development in Franklin County. Municipalities in the greater Franklin County area are pursuing becoming an economic development zone for the state, he said. It would be good to get businesses into Strong, he said, but it would also be a benefit if new businesses set up in other towns in Franklin County.

“As a municipality, we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to encourage new business and create jobs for the people,” Ellsworth said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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