By Tim Krumreig
How many cats can you spot when walking in downtown Oberlin? Aside from Ginko Gallery, there are not too many cats running around the downtown shops. A few years ago Jerry Anderson took over ownership of Watson’s Hardware. If you have taken a walk downtown in the past year you may have noticed a cat sunning herself in the front window or warming herself under the furnace. When you walk into Watson’s, Athena, an unconventional greeter, will welcome you into the store. She won’t ask you if you need a cart or tell you where to look for screw drivers, but she is willing to receive as much attention as you are will give her! Jerry said he adopted her to try and solve the mouse problem in the store, but eventually Athena just became part of the hardware store family. Eventually, Jerry is hoping to have students and patrons of Watson’s write postcards to Athena; the goal is to see how far people are willing to travel and still send Athena a postcard.

Drop by Watson’s for any of your hardware needs and of course pay a visit to Athena!