EXPPRESS
Diann & Dane Smith
All In The Family
New Albany’s Ben Franklin Crafts and Framing Is an Inspiring Institution
BY LAURA ROSS | PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN WATSON
The Smiths are one crafty family.
Literally.
The long-time Indiana family is devoted to
the community but also creative, energetic and
incredibly adept at producing savvy business
models that thwart big-box Goliath stores and
provide a locally-owned experience and business
that caters to customers.
Ben Franklin Crafts and Framing, 420 New
Albany Plaza, has been in the Smith family since
it opened in 1990. But its roots go much deeper.
Joe and Hilda Busteed originally opened a Ben
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Franklin Crafts franchise store in Milan, Indiana,
during the post-war era.
“Joe was a Fuller Brush salesman originally,” said
Kristy Smith, who is a third-generation owner of
Ben Franklin Crafts and Framing along with her
husband, Jeff Smith, and family partners Dane
and Diann Smith.
“When Joe and Hilda opened their Ben Franklin
Crafts store,” said Kristy, “it was a true five and dime.
You could buy everything there from coffee beans to
fabric to make a dress. We still have their first cash
register, which rings a maximum of two dollars.”
The Busteeds were treasured local merchants,
and when Joe died of an aneurism in his 50s, his
daughter Patsy Jo and son-in-law Wayne Smith
took over the store. Later, they opened a second
shop in Bloomfield, Indiana.
In the late 1980s, Walmart began its the march
across the country, gobbling up the market share
of mom-and-pop craft and soft goods stores.
So, said Kristy, “Patsy Jo and Wayne conducted
a population study and looked for a location that
would support an independent craft store. New
Albany popped up on the map and had the right