A. Ruffing building once again a hub of business

Gazette Editor

news@gazettepublishingco.com

Kit Henry can remember his mother taking him into the old Ruffing Department Store in Bellevue's downtown when he was a kid. Now, Henry is the owner of one of Main Street's grand old buildings, where he has opened a hobby shop, computer services store, slot car racing tracks and more.

"My mom spent a lot of time in this store," said Henry looking around the vast openness of the building that occupies 109-111 E. Main Street. "I can remember when this downtown was full of activity."

Henry moved four businesses just a few doors to the west after having operated at the former Ben Franklin building for several years.

The new location - called HMS Speedways, Hobbies and Racing Gear - includes a hobby shop, a retail center for safety gear for racers including helmets, firesuits, gloves, etc., a computer repair store and Internet service provider (Checkered Flag Computers) and race tracks for slot cars and radio control cars.

"I have a major retailer eyeing part of the front of the building as well. I have an area I want to rent out for a mini-mall for vendors like we saw at the Farmers' Market last summer. I've had several people express an interest in that. I want to call that the A. Ruffing Mini-Mall to kind of keep that Bellevue tradition," said Henry.

Checkered Flag Computers is located in the front west side of the building while the safety gear and hobby store is located to the rear east side. The slot car/radio control car tracks are on the second floor.

Henry said he opted to move to the Ruffing building because the previous owners - Larry and Mary Jane Ocker - took such good care of it.

"I've lived in Bellevue my whole life and this opportunity came up and I decided to put my money where my mouth was...it was time to do something to help revitalize the downtown," said Henry. "We're in the process of refurbishing parts of the store."

Henry said the stigma many have that there is not enough parking downtown to support businesses is a perception thing.

"There's plenty of parking along Main Street, to the rear of the building, and the two big city lots less than a block away. Heck, when you go to the mall, you probably park just as far if not further than you would the downtown businesses," said Henry.