A souvenir shop in German Village embraces the rich history behind its 19th-century walls.
The Red Stable, German Village Souvenirs & Gifts, located at 223 E. Kossuth St., sells locally-made products from over 100 artists and vendors throughout German Village and Ohio. The shop opened in 2016 and is owned by partners Jeff Smith and Stevo Roksandic.
The walls are lined with items such as Ohio State memorabilia, handmade jewelry, bath and body care products, candles, clothes, accessories, notecards, books, home decor and plants that lead to a seasonal outdoor patio. On the second floor of the shop is an art studio.
Smith is a graphic designer and makes some of the items in the souvenir category while Roksandic manages the plants.
“It’s all about the locally-made products and the unique display,” Smith said. “It’s about the great customer service. It’s all about coming in and just discovering and experiencing things rather than just a plain old shopping type situation.”
Built in 1872 by Joseph MacNamara, The Red Stable was originally a horse livery. It was later used as a wagon repair shop, a coal and ice house, and an auto garage.
“It had a lot of neat uses like that,” Smith said.
The structure officially became The Red Stable in 1970 when local artist Phil Keintz converted it into a gift shop and personal art studio that featured Ohio artists.
Located across the street from the shop is Schmidt’s Sausage Haus, a historic German Village eatery. Smith, a neighborhood resident for over 20 years, said before navigation systems became popular, people that visited the area would often ask for directions to the restaurant, naturally bringing a lot of foot traffic to The Red Stable’s corner of the neighborhood.
When the structure became available for auction, Smith immediately saw an opportunity to open a business. Smith and Roksandic carried on the name and support of local artists and made The Red Stable their own.
“There’s been a real lacking of souvenirs in Columbus, but especially in German Village,” Smith said. “It just kind of made sense that maybe we should do something. There’s already a built-in customer base there, so maybe we should try and open something that really appeals to the demographics that are coming in from the restaurant.”
As their business continues to grow, so has their need for space. In March, the pair bought a warehouse in Merion Village to use for storage and as a production facility.
“We’ll be able to produce more in-house things than we have been able to due to restrictions of space,” Smith said.
The Red Stable, German Village Souvenirs & Gifts, is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. More information about the shop can be found on its website, theredstable.com.
All photos by Ashley Kimmel