SMITHVILLE, Ohio — The food and coffee are flowing once again at The Carpenter's Cup, as customers return to the coffee shop following a slow summer.
The construction of not one, but two roundabouts this summer slowed business down at The Carpenter's Cup and other Smithville businesses. The Wayne County Engineer's Office was converting the intersection of Smithville-Western and Honeytown Road into a roundabout. The Ohio Department of Transportation created a roundabout at the intersection of State Route 585 and Geyers Chapel Road.
"It's really nice now," The Carpenter's Cup co-owner Sara Hubacher said. "The roundabouts, now that they're done, are a wonderful benefit to the community."
Both projects diverted drivers away from the small village, but Hubacher said News 5's story in July helped change that.
RELATED: Smithville businesses concerned as 2 construction projects block access to village
"We had people just coming to support us," she said. "It was so fun. We had people from Massillon, Wadsworth, and even Cleveland and Medina. They said they just felt like coming down and telling you that we're pulling for you."
Both roundabouts opened at the end of August, just before the busy Fall festival season. They are just the beginning of a roundabout revolution happening in Wayne County.
ODOT plans to convert the intersection of State Routes 94, 585 and 604 into a roundabout next year. In 2027, a roundabout will be built at the intersection of 585, Apple Creek Road and Five Points. ODOT tells News 5 that many other intersections are on its radar as well.
"With each roundabout we are putting in, we are seeing the safety improvements of those roundabouts," Crystal Kneelon, an ODOT public information officer in District Three, said. "We will continue to use them."
That doesn't include any projects from the Wayne County Engineer's Office.
Hubacher said she is aware of these projects, and she and her employees are already preparing for the next construction season.
"We just have to be on top of our game and say, 'Hey! We have specials going on. We are looking for you," she said. "
They'll be doing everything they can to ensure the cars keep coming down State Route 585 despite construction, detours, and roundabouts.
"Don't forget about us," Hubacher said. "We'll do the best we can."
