 The business owned and operated by Bill Cosby (not the comedian),
his wife, Kathy, and son Andy invites area residents, especially
lawn care enthusiasts, to stop by and kick the tires on the full
line of Simplicity mowers. The shop offers sales, parts and service
for Simplicity mowers as well as other equipment, including utility
vehicles, tillers and snow throwers.The location at 112 Gov.
Oglesby St. has been a busy site in Elkhart going back to when it
was a Massey Harris dealership in the 1940s.
Cosby, who is from Broadwell, originally was a young repairman in
the agriculture business at "Bob and Jim's" in Mount Pulaski when he
was told by a neighbor that J.D. Richardson was thinking of retiring
and Bill might want to look into buying his business.
Richardson was well-known in the area not only for his repair
work but also his welding acumen. He had a good business and was
getting up in years. So Cosby gave him a call. "I called J.D. and he
said he wasn't interested in retiring, but that when he decided to,
he would give me a call. Three days later he called me back." And as
they say, "the rest is history."
Since the name was so well-known in the community, Cosby decided
to keep the name as Richardson Repair Service and has not found a
need to change it to this day.
[to top of second column]
 |
Cosby stated he has had a good year, especially last fall, and hopes
for continued success, although the gasoline and energy prices have
him just as nervous as other retailers. "People might start keeping
their wallets in their pockets if this doesn't turn around," Cosby
reflected. Still, his products, which to many lawn care enthusiasts
are essential items, might not be subjected to a downward spiral in
the economy, and Cosby looks positively at the future.
By far, the leading mower at the store is the Simplicity Zero
Turn model. "Besides being great around landscape and trees, the
model has a patented full suspension so you can mow for a long time
without feeling like you need a kidney belt," Cosby laughed.
This model, as well as the entire line of Simplicity mowers, plus
other lawn and garden accessories by other manufacturers will all be
out for this weekend's open house.
Cosby, again showing he has his own comedic flare, explained that
he also sells other equipment with long foreign names; items include
trimmers, chain saws and blowers by Shindaiwa and Maruyama.
The open house date is March 29 and the hours are from 8 a.m.
till 4 p.m. The public is invited. After an extremely harsh winter,
it might be fun to think about one's lawn this weekend instead of
another foot of snow. The Cosbys will be happy to help you get ready
for that first lawn mowing in style.
[By MIKE FAK]
Readers can find more of Mike Fak's writing at
www.searchwarp.com
and www.problogs.com.
|
