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20 2O24–2O2 5 GU I D E to Y E L LOW S P R I NG S Your EVERYDAY SOURCE for LOCAL FOODS 242 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs Ph. 937-767-7349 TOM’S MARKET is locally owned and operated and your everyday COMMUNITY DELI for BREAKFAST, LUNCH and DINNER LARGE SELECTION of fresh organic fruits & vegetables Roasted chickens BOAR’S HEAD products in the deli section FRESH cheeses, salads & sandwiches www.TomsMarketYS.com UrologySpecialistsOfOhio.com • 937-342-9260 Offices in Beavercreek, Springfield and Xenia Eric Espinosa, M.D. Board Certified Urologist • Urolift-Prostate Procedure • Erectile Dysfunction • Botox & Biofeedback Treatment of Incontinence • Bladder Cancer • Vasectomy • Kidney Stones • Laser Treatment of Prostate which aims to support diverse communities by identifying and removing barriers to opportunity and success. “When we come together, we can do things collectively that empower not only us as individuals, but future genera- tions,” Seibel said. “Building community is really about building trust in so many ways.” WHAT HOME MEANS Stephanie Richards moved from a farm in rural Xenia to Yellow Springs in January 2020 with her two daughters — Gretchen, 11, and Gillian, 7. The move was precipitated by a separation from a partner, Richards told the News last year. She said she chose Yellow Springs after taking classes at John Bryan Commu- nity Pottery. “I kind of fell in love with the town and the pottery studio,” she said. “I grew up in Lancaster and spent most of my adult life in Columbus, but Yellow Springs was the first place I really felt at home.” Richards — who now serves on the John Bryan Community Pottery board and is grants and operations coordina - tor for the Morgan Family Foundation — initially rented after moving to the village, but wanted to buy a home of her own for her family. When she contacted Home, Inc. to inquire about adding her name to the waiting list of prospec - tive homebuyers, she said she was wary that her previous years of being a stay-at-home mom would put her out of the running. “But they were willing and excited to work with me,” she said. After a house in Home, Inc.’s Cemetery Street neighborhood became available, Richards said Chris Hall worked closely with her to determine her eli- gibility, and then, to purchase the house. “He made everything so easy for me — he contacted all the people who needed to be contacted,” she said. “It was really reassuring to have [Hall] working with me during the purchase process, since I knew he was there to help me get a home I could afford instead of trying to make a profit.” Richards purchased the house in 2021, and soon began to make the space home: She and her partner decorated her daughters’ room while the two were out of town visiting extended family. “They came back and it's all sparkly and their closets are colorful and they've got new furniture,” she said. “They love having their space.” In a follow-up email with the News, Gillian and Gretchen Richards agreed that what they like best about their Cemetery Street home is that their yard allows them to have a “big trampoline” and that it gives them a reasonable prox- imity to Corner Cone. “We have friendly neigh- bors, and cats come to visit,” Gillian Richards said. “The neighbors are nice,” Gretchen Richards agreed, “and there’s a lot of nature out back.” Stephanie Richards said she values many of the same things her daughters do — watching the creek flow in the woods behind her house, spot- ting wildlife out the window. “We can walk into town, or we can have pizza delivered to us — and after living on a farm, having pizza delivered to you is amazing,” she said. But ultimately, Richards said, what buying a home through Home, Inc. has meant to her has been the ability to put down roots in a place she hopes she’ll call home for a long time yet. “Yellow Springs is the first place I ever felt like, ‘This is my community,’” she said. “Being able to find a home here — it’s cementing that community for me.” ♦