Grove opens new Carrollton store

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CCM/Carol McIntire The void left in the community with the closing of D&D TV and Appliance is being filled with the opening of Grove Appliance TV Furniture & Mattress in the Drug Mart Plaza this week. D&D co-owner Dan Ries (seated) joined Grove staff members Tom Craig (standing, left) and Chas Mitchell.

By Carol McIntire
Editor
The closing of D&D TV and Appliance at the end of 2022 left a void in the local community when it came to the purchase and repair of appliances.
The void was filled this week with the opening of Grove Appliance TV Furniture & Mattress in the Drug Mart Plaza at the north edge of Carrollton.
The opening of the new store didn’t come by accident.
Grove has been a staple in the Alliance business community dating back to 1935 when Eber J. Grove began selling commercial refrigerators out of his garage. In 1940, he moved the business to its first location and in 1960, moved to the present location at 350 E. State St.
Today the fourth generation of the family is involved in the business, Chas (Charles) Mitchell, who serves as manager of the Alliance store.
It was through Chas and a chance conversation with a repair technician who worked with both Grove and D&D that led to opening the new Carrollton location at 1256 Canton Rd.
“I was talking to a service technician who did repair work for both D&D and our company,” Chas related from the spacious new Carrollton showroom. “He related the story of how Dan Ries’ business partner passed away and he was thinking of closing the business. I picked up the phone, made a cold call to Dan and asked him about his plans. At that point, he hadn’t made up his mind about the future of the business.”
“Knowing the reputation of Grove and the service they provide after the sale, I knew it would be a good fit for the Carrollton community,” said Ries, who joined the interview at the request of Chas. “I feel like Tom (Parker, Dan’s longtime business partner) directed him to me.”
“I told Dan if he wanted to close the business, we’d come in and ease the pain of the community as we had been looking to expand the business footprint. We began looking for a location and here we are!” Chas stated waving his arm around the new showroom.
Work began on the 8,000 square-foot showroom as quickly as possible, and the doors opened this week.
“We look to provide the same superior quality people received from D&D,” Chas explained. “We offer the same high-quality service of appliances at our Alliance store and will offer that same quality at our new Carrollton store.”
Grove employees have been busy filling the store with living room, bedroom and kitchen furniture, mattresses, TVs, dehumidifiers and vacuum cleaners as well as a list of appliances that includes stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves, freezers, washers and dryers.
The business is a Weber grill dealer.
Chas grew up in the family business, went off to college, earned a master’s degree and began working in the medical field for Pfizer in Kentucky.
“One day my dad called me and asked me if I wanted to give the business a try,” Chas related. I moved back here in 2015 and have been here ever since.”
Tom Craig, a familiar face in the Alliance store for the past several years, will serve as store manager of the new Carrollton location.
Craig has worked his way up through the ranks in the business and has been friends with Chas for over two decades.
“Chas’ grandpa died and when he did the company lost its top salesperson,” Craig stated. “I had experience in management and running departments which was a perfect fit. I joined the Grove team, learned the business and have been there 11 years, spending the last four years on the sales floor. I’m very excited to be here. I love working with people and am excited to get to know the community.”
“We are very community-oriented,” added Chas. Our desire mimics Dan’s – we want to be there to take of the clients’ needs in terms of both sales and service. At Grove we have a saying we live by: ‘We say what we do and do what we say.”
Business hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For customer convenience, the phone number remains the same as D&D, 330-627-4822. Chas noted Ries transferred customer records from D&D to Grove to assist with warranty work on appliances. For additional information, visit www.groveappliance.com.

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