Standing in front of his new business Portfolio, a mid-century and designer furniture showroom at 440 Market Ave. N in downtown Canton, the 43-year-old entrepreneur recalled those days both fondly and with a sense of wonder.
Hoover basked in the moment on Aug. 27 at a ribbon-cutting event for Portfolio and聽Ohio Workroom, both located in the same 100-year-old renovated building. Ohio Workroom restores, upholsters and refinishes furniture.
"We made a lot of improvements (to) our old building," Hoover said. "Trying to make it a more creative space, a healthier space, and just a great environment for us to create awesome things."
Hoover already owns and operates聽Mainstreet Modern, a warehouse and outlet in the downtown Canton area where he sells mid-century furniture and furnishings.
And he can't wait to show off Portfolio from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 29 at the grand opening. Regular hours for Portfolio and Ohio Workroom will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
When Hoover purchased the building about four years ago, it was in rough shape.
"There was no electricity, there was no plumbing, there were no staircases," he said.
"I would be lying if I said that there weren't moments that I wasn't sure whether we'd make it here or not."
'I want people to come here and be amazed.'
Portfolio sells vintage and collectible furniture and furnishings, including pieces restored by the Ohio Workroom studio. Pieces range in periods and styles, including modern. Portfolio also sells a plethora of textiles, fabrics and wallpaper and offers professional design services. Custom chairs are also designed and made.
Hoover said the duo of new businesses will be a mecca for furniture design.
Prized pieces include chairs designed by the late聽Adrian Pearsall聽and covered with聽MINDTHEGAP聽fabric. MINDTHEGAP furnishings, wallpaper and furniture also will be carried. Portfolio is a flagship store for the Romania-based MINDTHEGAP, joining locations in New York and Los Angeles.
Other gems include mid-century pieces by Northeast Ohio furniture design icon聽Arden Riddle.
"We carry a lot of emerging textile artists, so you're going to see things you wouldn't see anywhere else around here," Hoover said. "But you're not going to see them in Ohio or Canton especially, so we want to expose people to things that we think are amazing, and a lot of times that's smaller companies that aren't well known yet."
"I want people to come here and be amazed," said Hoover, a St. Thomas Aquinas graduate.
Mainstreet Modern聽planted the seed for Portfolio.
"We built it into one of the largest mid-century furniture stores in the country," he said. "And I got to say I'm pretty proud of it because people come from all over 鈥?not just Stark County or all of Ohio or even neighboring states but all over the country and even all over the world."
Jeff Dafler, president and CEO of the聽Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, said Hoover's commitment to downtown Canton is undeniable.
"To hear him say he's always going to be in Canton and he's never going to retire is actually really exciting because he's done some impressive things and all of it has been top class," he said.
"I'm so amazed at what he has created with Portfolio and Ohio Workroom. It truly is a world class destination for design and craftsmanship, and I'm just so impressed with what he has done to take that vision to this reality."
Cathedral of coolness
Hoover likely could use fancier and more sophisticated terms to describe the inventory at Portfolio. But simply put, the showroom is a cathedral of coolness. Ceilings stretch high. Exposed brick walls accent the pieces and imbue the space with character.