When Battista Girolimon opened Ben Franklin in 1929, it was thought to have been the first franchise store in Upper Michigan.

The Crystal Falls store has outlasted the Ben Franklin chain — while several Ben Franklin stores remain in operation, they have all been independent since 2017.

Girolimon passed the store to his daughter and son-in-law, Olga and Mink Sartori, who would own it for 38 years until 1984, when it again went to a daughter and son-in-law, Staria and Jeff Syrjanen, who also had the store for 38 years.

Stacy and Jeff Gasperich purchased the store in January 2022, fulfilling a lifelong dream of Stacy Gasperich.

Ben Franklin is at 301 Superior Ave. in Crystal Falls.

“So I grew up in Escanaba, but this was where my grandparents lived. My parents were both born and raised in Crystal Falls so I would come here all the time,” Gasperich said. “My grandma would give me money and send me off to the dime store to get her yarn and I would go to the candy counter or the toy aisle, so I’ve been coming here my whole life.”

She learned the Syrjanens wanted to sell the store, but were prepared to liquidate the business and put the building up for sale if no one was interested, she said.

“That was heartbreaking to me, because it has been here for so long,” she said.

Gasperich has a long history in banking and last worked as the controller and human resources director at Angeli Foods in Iron River. It was at Angelis that Gasperich said she received the experience in the back end of retail that made taking over the Ben Franklin possible.

After closing on the purchase in January 2022, Gasperich would spend the next four months remodeling the store. Multiple layers of carpeting were pulled up, new built-in shelves installed, a new roof put on and the storefront replaced, with glass all the way across the front of the store. Gasperich said the eye-catching new storefront has really helped draw customers in.

Stacy Gasperich has been operating Ben Franklin in Crystal Falls since early 2022.

The remodeled Ben Franklin reopened May 14, 2022. Although unannounced, the reopening received strong support from the local community.

The building may have received a complete overhaul, but Gasperich said that they did not change much about how the business is run or the merchandise they carry.

“We really kept a lot of what they (the Syrjanens) had because their formula worked,” Gasperich said. “We might have added a few things, but we listened very closely to what they told us worked over the years because obviously it was here 92 years before us, so they know what they were doing.”

Ben Franklin is selling all of the items they have been known for — toys, greeting cards, candy, clothes, gift wrap, office supplies, home decor and candles.

Gasperich says they also still carry the craft items they were known for, such as fabric, yarn, art supplies and floral.

“Ben Franklin was a variety store … it was kind of the precursor to dollar stores back in the day the dime stores, so it is still reminiscent of that,” Gasperich said.

In addition, Ben Franklin also carries a wide variety of souvenirs, both for Crystal Falls and Michigan — many made in Michigan, something that not many stores in the area offer, she said.

Ben Franklin also sells Forest Park School District merchandise, although not sport-specific so they avoid competing with school fundraisers.

The holidays were a busy time for Ben Franklin, they offered coupons for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Crystal Christmas.

Gasperich said owning the store is working out great — she enjoys seeing the people who come into the store, and as she is the one who picks out the merchandise, she is surrounded by the things she likes all day long.

In addition to herself, Gasperich is assisted by one part-time employee. Her daughter, Ella, also helps out.

Gasperich hopes this coming year to launch an online store.

“We have been asked since we opened if we would sell online — we have a lot of social media followers from all over the country that either grew up here, had ties to here or vacationed here and loved it,” Gasperich said. “So we want to be able to offer things to people who maybe cannot get here.”

Ben Franklin is at 301 Superior Ave. in Crystal Falls. The store is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Jim Paul can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 229, or jpaul@ironmountaindailynews.com.