HOMETOWN PROFILES: Liberty women extend Grace to community
HUBBARD — With God’s guidance, Susan Mocker and Devon Cretella, both of Liberty, started the next chapter of their careers when they opened the antique, vintage and repurposed home decor store, Extending Grace, in 2016.
“When we became Christians, we felt very strongly of letting Christ have his way, and you go on this great adventure,” Mocker said.
For the first year they owned the store, Cretella worked as an insurance agent and Mocker in the community mental health system.
“We were in the process of selling our insurance agency. I wanted to do something else, and this sounded like fun,” said Cretella on why she decided to partner with Mocker at Extending Grace.
Mocker had a minor in art with a concentration in weaving, and Cretella said she always was doing small art projects at home. So, the artisans whose work is part of the store makes sense. Their mothers’ influence in how they view the items that they purchase to sell at the store also came into play. Mocker’s mother was an antique dealer, and Cretella’s mom was a frequent shopper at garage sales.
“When we see a piece that has kind of seen better days, we try to see the potential in it,” Cretella said.
In the 1980s, Mocker and Cretella became aware of each other when they attended the same church, but did not become friends until they were members of a different congregation in the 1990s. Cretella is originally from Michigan and moved to this area in 1985.
Mocker thought about opening a shop even when she was a stay at-home mom with her first two children. She now has three grown children and nine grandchildren. Cretella has two children and two grandchildren.
“My oldest is 45 and I tell people that even when I was nursing her, I would keep an idea book — a small notebook — writing that if I had my own store, this is what I would do,” she said.
In 2013 or 2014, Mocker took the initial step toward opening Extending Grace when she told her husband that she would like to have a booth at an antique mall to sell some of the items they had acquired in their home.
“The first time I went to an antique store, I asked if anyone wanted to go with me. I had to do it by myself. Then, I had the opportunity to sell at Vintage VanBlair (Antiques & Oddities) in North Lima. This time, when I asked Devon, she went with me. A year later, this building in Hubbard on West Liberty Street was available,” Mocker said.
Cretella and Mocker said they feel embraced by the community of Hubbard.
For Mocker, who grew up on the North Side of Youngstown, the location has family significance. “When my parents were first married, they lived in Hubbard. My mom would always talk about how wonderful it was there,” she said.
When she opened the business, she was ready with a name.
“I have a trademark. I copyrighted the name Extending Grace in either 2010 or 2011. I didn’t know what I was going to do with it. I felt like God had given me so much grace that it was my obligation, my journey, to extend it to others,” Mocker said.
She consulted with marketing students at Youngstown State University to create a logo for the business.
“I know Extending Grace doesn’t make you think of antiques and vintage, but they did a really good job with the logo,” she said.
Like every business in 2020, Extending Grace was affected by the COVID-19 shutdown.
“We started having live auctions on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Since everyone was home, we looked at it as an opportunity. Once things started to open up, we only had a live auction on Wednesday night,” Mocker said.
It is also a way to shop at their store when the weather is inclement.
Cretella appears on screen and Mocker runs the camera and website for the live chat during the auction.
“Susan likes a challenge. She is our social media person. She helped design the website and she created the Extending Grace app,” Cretella said.
After the live auction, customers can still purchase featured items from the website, app or come into the store to buy products that they viewed during the live show.
Workshops such as “Learn to Make Pierogies” or “Learn How to Crochet” or play bingo or journal, are offered at the store and increase the sense of community among the owners, vendors teaching the workshop and the attendees.
“Devon and I conduct the majority of the workshops, though we do offer the opportunity for our vendors to do them. One of the things I love to see is when people are strangers and they start talking during a workshop or bingo, and by the end of it, they are exchanging phone numbers to stay in touch or discussing going to lunch,” Mocker said.
What began in an idea book is now a reality for Mocker and her friend, Cretella.
“This has been a long-time dream. I knew I wanted to do this. But through it, I didn’t realize and I’m sure Devon will concur, one of the things that is so special to us is that we have so many folks that have become our friends. It sounds really simple, but it is such a blessing. It was like a gift from God, the people that we have met, “Mocker said.
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