Photos courtesy of John Nixon Photography
For Sharon Downs, who was born in 1946, growing up in Grove City was good. Local businesses and people were different, technology was sparse, and the city was smaller. But what made her childhood great still exists here; in fact, in its essence, children growing up in Grove City today experience a similarly good childhood.
“It’s because of the way we were raised. Basically, it couldn’t have been better, my childhood,” Downs says. “Everybody knew everybody.”
But what set Downs apart from other children the most was her early-developed eye for business. She grew up by Beulah Park, and she and her siblings would charge residents 50 cents to park in her family’s yard. They could only fit seven or eight cars, but running a business, no matter the size, suited Downs well.
She graduated from Grove City High School before attending Nationwide Beauty Academy. In 1968, she opened her own salon, Castilian Hair Dressers, which she ran for about a decade. In the meantime, Downs had four children: Shane Williams, Shar Weber, Scott Williams and Zachary Downs. Raising four children isn’t an easy feat, but the naturally entrepreneurial Downs couldn’t be kept away from the business world.
In 1986, she and her husband, Joe Downs, opened Zachary’s with the first-ever outdoor dining seating in the area, and the spot quickly became a Town Center staple. All of the food was homemade, and Joe made the pies himself. They employed high school students, who Downs speaks highly of, and always participated in town parades and alumni weekends. Despite working long hours at Zachary’s, Downs still thought she could – and should – do more.
“I always stayed connected with the city. When I was at Zachary’s, there were only eight or 10 of us, and we started the Grove City Town Center organization,” says Downs. “Back then, there wasn’t a whole lot going on and it just was the right thing to do at the time.”
With Downs’ help, the organization grew, and the small group of downtown business owners started a program called Clean Sweep, and helped organize flowers and music for Boo on Broadway. As Grove City grew, Downs knew encouraging positive change was important.
“I felt like us owners of businesses down there should do our part to come up with different things to get people downtown,” Downs says. “It was grassroots.”
Zachary’s shut its doors after 11 years, but Downs’ bug for business wasn’t yet satisfied. Her parents, who were businesspeople themselves, inspired her next venture. After Downs’ mother passed and she was tasked with moving her parents’ belongings out of their Grove City Road home, something dawned on her.
“It’s just stuff. We need a place where people can bring their parents’ stuff, where they feel like they’re not setting it at the curb,” Downs says. “That’s how (Red Maple Curio) started, and for 11 years, I had the best customers in the world.”
After Red Maple Curio closed, more than three decades after her first salon opened, she put her beauty expertise back to use. Both her daughter and granddaughter went to beauty school so, to give them a home, Downs opened Artistic Angle Hair Salon in 2001. The three generations now work alongside one other at the Broadway-based salon. Managing so many businesses in one lifetime may seem wild but Downs wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I was always just comfortable here. … I felt like this was where I needed to be,” Downs says, “and it has worked out.”
But Grove City isn’t just good for business; it’s the perfect place for Downs to be living. In fact, for the last 48 years, she’s lived in a home that she fell in love with in high school, when she babysat for the family who lived there.
“It’s always been my dream home, when I was babysitting at 14 years old,” Downs says.
“I’m comfortable here. I’ve been to the same church all my life, I’ve lived here all my life.” - Sharon Downs
Downs has always been heavily involved in her community, starting with the Grove City Community Club in the 1980s. Her mother was a member, and the women with whom she worked inspired Downs.
“The ladies of the past were hard workers, loving, got the job done. I could always count on them. They were just the souls of yesterday,” Downs says. “I loved being around them, I loved helping them back then. Here I am at that stage – it’s super.”
Downs is also involved in Grove City Buddy Ball and Tree City USA. She is also still an active member of her childhood church, Grove City United Methodist. And while, yes, Grove City has changed tremendously since her childhood, Downs is still inspired to be an active member of the community.
“It’s progress – there’s nothing you can do about it, so you just sit back and hope it all goes in the direction it’s supposed to. And, you know, I think it has,” Downs says. “I’m comfortable here. I’ve been to the same church all my life, I’ve lived here all my life.”
As Downs looks to the future, she’s excited to spend more time with her four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. She enjoys her clients at Artistic Angle, and still loves living in her dream home with Joe.
“I always make this comment to people: what’s there not to love in Grove City? Period. That’s my motto,” says Downs. “We have it all. We have everything you could ever imagine now, compared to when I grew up.”
Amanda DePerro is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
