Mithoff work a labor of love

LANCASTER – Brad and Penny Hutchinson have a simple reason for spending $3 million or $4 million to renovate the Mithoff building on Main Street.

"We couldn't stand to see that old building torn down so we had to step in and do something," Penny Hutchinson said.

She said the Mithoff building is a focal point of downtown, and she and her husband both have a love for history and old buildings, including the 1832 farmhouse they live in.

The Hutchinsons this month bought the Mithoff building from the city for $1. The city bought the building in 2008 for $205,000 from a New York realty company.

Early renovation plans by the Hutchinsons include a restaurant and a retail space on the first floor, with more space for professional offices on the second and third floors. Brad Hutchinson said he may use the basement also, but that decision will be made after workers inspect it. The Hutchinsons presented a tentative timeline to Lancaster City Council for a 2020 completion.

Brad Hutchinson, 41, bought his first business, Accurate Construction, at 19. The Hutchinsons own Company Wrench, Taylor Rental Party Plus, Cool Cravings restaurant and H & W Investment Properties. They met in 1999.

"We dated for three months and we were married in January of 2000," Penny Hutchinson said. "He was a customer at Taylor. He came in to Taylor Rental and rented from me. That's how I met him."

She is a Licking County native and moved to Lancaster in 1978 when her family started Taylor Rental.

"My dad and I worked together for 23 years and we ran that store," Penny Hutchinson said. "In 2000, I started my own party rental business and sold that in 2004 to work with Brad at Company Wrench. Then we opened Taylor Rental (Party Plus) last year."

With such busy lives, what do the Hutchinsons do for recreation?

"We don't," Brad Hutchinson said. "All I want to do is just accomplish something. I can't stand to sit around the house during the day. Even on Sunday mornings I still go into the office and check on things. There's no way I could sit idle for any length of time."

He said some of his employees think he's impossible to work for, even though most have been with him for years.

"I'm a full believer in the bad apple theory," Brad Hutchinson said. "You get one bad apple and he'll ruin the whole cart or she'll ruin the whole cart. So if we get into a situation where we hire an employee and they just don't want to play with the rest of us, we've got to get rid of them. So unfortunately, you have to terminate people. That's part of being in business. You have to make business decisions."

But he said he pays well and takes excellent care of his workers.

Brad Hutchinson, a Lancaster native, also holds several patents on construction equipment, but does not have a college education.

"The first business, I survived three years and I was able to grow the business," he said. "It was a learning experience. That was my college education essentially. I made a lot of mistakes and I feel like I was able to learn from those. The best thing is you don't go down the same road you went down that wasn't successful."

While the couple does take an annual vacation for a week with their three children, Penny Hutchinson said flipping properties is the closest thing they have for a hobby.

"We don't have any vacation homes," Brad Hutchinson said. "We don't have any motorcycles, no boats, no fast cars. I love to work, and I know that sounds crazy. I don't watch any sports. I have zero involvement in that stuff."

A lot of people will be watching as the couple renovate the Mithoff. But Penny Hutchinson said such attention does not bring added pressure since the community has been so supportive.

"We have not run into anybody that's like, 'What the heck are you trying to do with this building?'" she said. "Nobody has been negative or like, 'You guys are crazy for doing this.' Everybody has been great. I think if we did run into problems, everybody would be behind us. I don't think anybody would be negative about it."

jbarron@lancastereaglegazette.com

740-681-4340

Twitter: @JeffDBarron