Stork’s Plows, a supplier of snow plows, parts and accessories, has officially opened its new location in Ontelaunee Township, Berks County. The company purchased the property at 5411 Pottsville Pike in August 2021, with plans to consolidate its operations in the new location by September 2022.
It took a little longer than the owners originally planned, but the company recently held a grand opening and customer appreciation event at the new location.
The 9.5-acre corner property previously was home to Ozzy’s Family Fun Center, an amusement complex that never fully reopened after COVID-19 restrictions.
Stork’s Plows was founded in Penn Township in 1986 by Gene and Theresa Stork. Their son Jeen Stork is part owner and runs the daily operations. According to Jeen Stork, the company plans to use all of the space in the 55,000-square-foot building.
“This is much larger than our old location and we hope to keep some space and not be crammed in as we were,” he said in an emailed response to questions.
The move was necessary because the business had outgrown its multiple spaces and needed to bring everything together.
“As our business grew in Bernville we expanded the property there as it became available,” Stork said. “We were working out of many buildings that made it tough to keep track of inventory and fulfill orders in a timely manner.”
A storm in December 2020 that had customers lined up and down the street in the cold for hours reinforced the need, Stork added.
“Our crew was amazing, running all day for 14 hours to get the customers back on the road,” he said. “But having people have to wait in line like that was something that we knew we had to change.”
Stork said that as a seasonal business, most of the company’s business is done in a three- to four-month period of the year.
“We realized after that storm that with our current layout we were not able to provide the service that we aim to give,” he said.
He said that meant the company either needed to build or move.
“So we started looking at both options,” he said.
Stork said the Ontelaunee Township property happened by chance. He was driving by and saw a dumpster close to the front of the building.
“So I drove in and looked in the windows to find the arcades were all gone,” he said, adding that he was dreaming of the possibilities.
The company made the purchase, and renovations began.
According to Stork, some of that work included installing pallet racks and shelving for inventory and a sprinkler system. In addition, there were roof repairs, HVAC and electrical work and the removal of the miniature golf course that had been part of Ozzy’s.
Inside, the laser tag room is now holding inventory and a shipping station, the company said. In addition, the front lobby and showroom used to be Ozzy’s arcade and food area. The ceiling was taken out and the room now features a mezzanine.
“There are still some features here of the old business,” Stork said. “We kept a castle from the mini golf, and the wood skating rink is still upstairs.”
The new location was on display for customers and community members Sept. 29 when the company held its annual open house and ribbon cutting.
Source: Berkshire mont
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