July 2023 Special Needs Living Akron/Canton

Sponsor Spotlight

Hop on in! Welcome to the Frog Shop!

BY SARAH SMITH

You don’t have to be a herpetologist, someone who studies frogs, to hop into The Frog Shop. Located inside Pond Wiser Inc. in North Canton, The Frog Shop offers a wide selection of frogthemed gifts. While the store does not sell live frogs, despite many requests, Owner Kathy Ray may consider it in the future.

The Frog Shop hopped on the scene during the pandemic. Kathy and her husband, Dennis, have owned a Pond Wiser, a pond/lake service business, for over thirty years. During that time, they realized how much their clients love their frogs and how much joy it brings them when new frogs arrive at their pond. For a time they had joked about having a frog store.

“Then during the pandemic, I had some quiet time, and those who know me, my mind rarely stops,” explained Kathy, “Having additional quiet time set up the perfect scenario to create a frogthemed store.”

The prototype was to be an online store only. However, shipping rates skyrocketed almost at the exact moment the store went live. Kathy moved on to plan B, which was a brick-and-mortar store. Pond Wiser leases a building and the Rays sought permission to put The Frog Shop in the same location.

On October 2nd, 2021, The Frog Shop opened at 437 Applegrove St. NW in North Canton.

“We soon realized we needed more space and opened an additional room,” Kathy said. “These two rooms of one of the area’s most unique gift stores you will ever find are filled to the brim with frog-related items for children to adults. We are a little hidden gem in the back part of the building.”

The Frog Shop has grown and has items for sale at two other locations. Beyesly’s Restaurant located at 533 N Main St. in North Canton has a few display cases in their establishment to sell merchandise. In April of 2023, the Rays connected with Northside Marketplace at 21 Furnace St in Akron.

“This became our third destination and things just continue hopping for us,” exclaimed Kathy. “We were thrilled to display our items in Beyesly’s. It has become an ideal location for the locals to get breakfast or lunch in town and pick up a gift for someone or themselves. Lepley & Co. has done amazing things with the Northside Marketplace.”

Beyesly’s is open Monday through Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm. Lepley & Co. is open Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 am to 7:00 pm and Sunday 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

“Come take advantage of any or all of these locations where you will find unique gifts such as home goods, books, clothing, jewelry, candy, salsa and seasonings, outdoor décor, and even pond products for the do-it-yourselfer. Not every location carries all of the same products, so you might want to hop around and check each one,” said Kathy.

The Frog Shop offers DIY Days. Each month on the second Saturday from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, Mr. Pondwiser, aka Denny Ray, will be available to answer questions about ponds. The pond products will be offered during that time at a 20% discount.

The shop’s current hours are Wednesday 2 pm to 7 pm, Thursday 10 am to 5 pm, and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. Follow the Facebook page to stay up to date on specials, hour changes and new product updates @thefrogshopofficialpage. Most of the products are also online at www.thefrogshop.net.

Pond Wiser is licensed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture and is a one-stop shop for pond maintenance, setup, and installation. The business also offers water features like fountains and bubbling rocks.

More information about The Frog Shop can be found by calling 330-833-FROG (3764) or by emailing thefrogshop@ pondwiser.com. Pond Wiser Inc. is located at 437 Applegrove St NW, N Canton, Ohio 44720.