We were basking in our great luck when the paperwork was final…The James Store would be moving into the space we lovingly call the Woodshed! The transfer from their spot beside Broadway Pub (which would eventually become an expansion of the Pub itself) to a step off of Broadway was a big one…and one that the Robbins Hunter Museum felt blessed to be a part of. Little did we know, one of the greatest blessings would be our growing relationship with the store’s owner, Samantha Smith. The store closed shop in 2018 but the relationship continues. Sam is the newest member of our Board of Trustees!
“I joined the RHM board of directors in October. Currently I am Denison's Financial Wellness Coordinator having joined the university after successfully selling a Granville retail business (The James Store) that I had owned and operated for over 10 years. For the last 3 years of owning the business we were located directly adjacent to the RHM and because of that I had even more interactions with the museum, the staff, and its events,” Sam says. Her familiarity with the museum’s operations isn’t the only thing she brings to the board. “One of the perspectives I bring to the museum is both digital marketing and event planning experience. I earned my M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and did large-scale event planning in Seattle, WA.”
Her credentials are impressive, but family is of utmost important to Sam. Her mother worked alongside her at The James, and she is raising her family right here in Granville! “My husband, Pete, and I moved to Granville in 2002. We have 4 children and have always enjoyed programs and events at the museum.” However, Sam isn’t the only member of her family involved with the Robbins Hunter Museum. “Our daughter, a senior in high school, is currently helping develop programs tied to the Victoria Woodhull series specifically for middle and high school students.” Look for more information in your inbox as the program develops.
So again, we wonder how we have gotten so lucky to have been given this opportunity to continue working with Sam. But this time when she arrives, her focus is strictly on the Robbins Hunter Museum. In her own words, “I look forward to continuing to make the RHM an asset to Granville residents and visitors.”
And you know she will!