Crossroads: Canal Fulton
By Sara Williams
The quaint city of Canal Fulton, located in the northwest corner of Stark County, is steeped in history. The historic district has more than 80 buildings and homes listed in the National Register of Historic Places, according to the city Web site.
What the Web site can’t describe, though, is the friendly people who live and work here. They are the kind of people who wave you out in traffic and who will walk out of the store to give you directions.
Some of the roads leading to the intersection at Canal Street and Cherry Street are paved in red brick. This city offers a glimpse back in time, as the storefronts on Canal Street look the way one might imagine they had 50 years ago. The specialty shops here make this a required destination before the upcoming holidays.
For a custom sweatshirt or T-shirt to remember your trip to Canal Fulton, look no further than Sewing and Specialties by Karen (319 N. Canal St.).
To satisfy your sweet tooth, stop into Deliciously Different Candies (136 N. Canal St.) They sell chocolates, jelly beans, fresh fudge, nuts, donuts, cake, coffee and balloons.
If you are on a gift hunt, Keillor’s: A Teddy Bear Shoppe (117 N. Canal St.) may be the perfect place to begin your search. A giant stuffed bear sits outside the shop, and a large bear wearing a vest greets you as soon as you open the door. One side of the shop is devoted to a small collection of jewelry, pillows, throws and the like. On the other side, the teddy bear reigns. Teddy bears range from the size of your little finger to the size of a child. Also for sale are cards with bears on the front, bears in costumes and much more.
Further south, a small store called Grandma’s Kitchen (127 S. Canal St.) sells canned peppers (medium and hot), pickled beets, bread and butter pickles, sweet pickle chips and pepper butter. Prices start at $4.
Walk through the sky-blue framed screen door to Whiffletree Antiques featuring Honey Suckle Prims (103 S. Canal St.), another hot spot for one-of-a-kind gifts. This store has antique furniture, dried flowers, pictures, decorations and hand-made primitive dolls, custom-made without patterns.
If you take a left onto Cherry Street, you’ll see Right on Records Gift Shop (111 Cherry St.), which sells jewelry, novelty T-shirts, records and new and used CDs.
Keep walking over the bridge, and you’ll find another chance to satisfy a sweet tooth at Cherry Street Creamery (136 W. Cherry St.) where featured flavors vary seasonally.
On the north side of Cherry Street, the Toys Time Forgot (137 E. Cherry St.) gives you the chance to rediscover the treasures your mom threw out when you weren’t looking. The store offers vintage “baby boomer” or collectible toys, TV memorabilia, action figures, comic books, trading cards and more merchandise lines the walls to bursting. Coin banks in the forms of Scooby-Doo, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Goofy sit in the store window.
For lunch, I recommend V-Li’s Thai Cuisine (129 N. Canal St.). They offer a wide selection including specialties such as lemon soup, Thai stir fry, ginger chicken, a Thai omelet and much more.
Canal Fulton’s down-home feel makes it fun to just wander around. One woman comes out of V-Li’s Thai Cuisine, unties her waiting dog and says, “Hey, bud, ready to go?” Anyone looking for a wonderful day out of the city should be ready to go spend a weekend in this enchanting town.