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A photograph, ca 1939, of the Handy Andy restaurant
located on the southwest side of Robbins Avenue in McKinley Heights.
PO1.1154 |
Handy
Andy Snack Shack: Andy Ochman
Unless you were around these parts in 1936, you’d
hardly believe that the present modern Handy Andy’s Drive–In
is the offspring of a small house trailer that Andy Ochman
once used in McDonald as a grocery–on–wheels.
Andy’s trailer was the original drive-in
stand in this area and he began in the business after he had transferred
his traveling grocery store to a permanent location and, as he
says, ‘I had to have something to use the trailer for.” |
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Handy Andy Restaurant located at the intersection
of Rt. 422 and State Rt. 169 in McKinley Heights. PO1.1149 |
The
old trailer was used one summer, then another trailer was purchased
and it was used to seat eight customers. The restaurant continued
to mushroom as two more additions were built and finally an almost
complete tearing–down and building–up program resulted
in the present sumptuous structure finished in the fall of 1946.
Before progressing to the 1946 level, however,
Andy took three years off from the restaurant business to play
around with the 25th Infantry Division in the European Theater
of War. Andy joined up April 1, 1943, “but it was no joke,”
said the genial restauranteur.
Andy was, at different times, attached to the
British and French armies and saw his first action at the famous
Battle of the Bulge. He finished up in the Rohr Pocket at war’s
end.
During his wartime sojourn, Handy Andy’s
was operated by his sister, Elizabeth Ochman, now owner
of Betty’s Dairy on North Main Street. Since returning from
service, Andy has been busy getting things rolling again Just
recently in East Liverpool, Ohio, he and his sister, Mrs.
Anna Lancaster, opened another restaurant, Mr. Handy Andy,
which offers the same type of service that the McKinley Heights
establishment offers. |
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Handy Andy employees circa 1953. Man at left-Andy
Ochman, then Lucille Walters, rest unknown. PO1.
1148

In August 1950, Andy opened his third restaurant
located in Hubbard, Ohio. |
On
March 1,1949 the 34–year–old restaurant owner took
on added responsibilities when he bought the Warren Bus Terminal
restaurant which he is now operating, and on April 30th opened
up a custard stand adjacent to Handy Andy’s.
Andy admits that it keeps him hopping to oversee
the three Trumbull County businesses and he personally keeps the
books and operates all three. He has a little more help than when
he first started in 1936 in the trailer. From that one–man
operation, his enterprises now employ 45 persons.
“Although that trailer was small and inadequate,”
said Andy, “it was my start–and I don’t have
a picture of it at all,” he added, waving at a display of
pictures on the wall showing the development of the drive–in.
“If you ever run into anyone who has such a snapshot, I’d
appreciate if you’d let me know about it.”
Andy was born and raised in McDonald and is a graduate of McDonald
High School. He now lives with his wife, Gertrude, and
daughter, Mary Andrea, in Girard.
Andy is a Kiwanian and a member of several business
men organizations in the area. He enjoys outdoor sports such as
baseball and golf, but says his hobby is underprivileged children.
“I like to see them have a good time,” He says. Each
Christmas Andy throws a party for the kids for the Kiwanis Club
and boasts, ‘Last year we had 92 children.”
The youthful restaurant proprietor is mainly
interested in one outside activity at the present time and it
apparently overshadows most other interests. He says, “My
ambition is to see McKinley Heights grow up—and it will
too, if I can do anything about it.” |
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In 1953,
Andy built a modern structure that featured a coffee shop, three
dining rooms and Teletray curb–service with a covered walkway
from the restaurant to the parked cars. Andy was the first restaurant
in Trumbull County to offer Teletray service where the operator
took the customer’s order and then music played on the speaker
while waiting for their order. A waitress carried the customer’s
order on a tray which was clamped to the window of the car’s
door.
Pictured on the left is an Advertisement for
Handy Andy restaurant, located at US 422 and State Rt. 169 in
McKinley Heights that shows the newly built restaurant as it appeared
in 1953. PO1.1152
The bottom image is a view of the eating area
with tables and the wall murals.
This area had dividers that could be pulled close
to make a more private eating or meeting area for smaller groups
or parties.
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L-Pictured are the speakers used
to place your order for food and drinks. A sliding shelf was used
to hold the trays and move them closer to the car.
Car hops would deliver your food and collect
the trays when the meal was completed.
R- Truck crash in front of Handy Andy's restaurant
with the sign visible on left. |
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Interior view of counter area
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Handy Andy Little League Champions
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Another landmark was
eliminated when the Handy Andy restaurant was demolished June
21, 1972. At the death of Andy Ochman, the restaurant was closed
until it reopened as Latsko Restaurant.
After another period of being closed, it was
sold to Marathon Oil Company and in its place a Marathon Service
Station was built. Today a McDonald’s restaurant occupies
the site. |
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Map outline of the new area to
be known as "Fairhaven Heights."
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Fairhaven Heights Is Name Chosen For Ochman
Plot.
Niles Daily Times February 18, 1956 by Fred Kearney
If and when Niles absorbs the
1,100 acre tract north of the city now seeking annexation, it
will inherit a carefully planned and attractive allotment which
will eventually contain more the 400 homes.
Andrew J. Ochman, better
known to many as “Handy Andy”, is the developer
of the Niles–Cortland Road–Route 422 plat which
will feature homes designed for modern, graceful living in keeping
with the times.
Ochman will direct the development
of the new allotment while Hugh Slaugenhaupt of Niles
will act as sales manager for the tract which will be known
as Fairhaven Heights.
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Bounded on the east
by Niles–Cortland Road, the north by Rt. 422 and the west
by Mosquito Creek, is a site endowed with gently rolling sloping
ground and has been subdivided into 407 lots.
Fairhaven Heights will be developed by Ochman
principally for construction of his own homes but other builders
will be allowed to buy lots and build within the allotment, either
for themselves or others.
Ochman and Slaugenhaupt both feel Fairhaven Heights
is the answer for many area residents who want a home at a reasonable
price but are leery of developments in which every house is alike.
There will be seven basic floor plans offered
to prospective buyers in Fairhaven Heights but the variations
on those floorplans are virtually limitless. Homes can be built
with a basement or on a slab foundation, with or without attached
garage and with or without completely modern electric or gas kitchens.
Fairhaven Heights will be designed for homes
in the medium price class, ranging from $13,000 to $19,000. Homes
on the choice lots with basements and completely equipped kitchens
will be near the $19,000 mark while smaller homes on a concrete
slab will range near $13,000.
Veterans will be able to purchase a home in on
a GI loan for 5% down plus closing costs and can have up to 30
years in which to pay though they can also finance the homes for
a shorter period. Deadline for most World War II veterans on their
GI home loans is July 1957 and Fairhaven Heights may offer some
of them the home they’ve been waiting for but couldn’t
afford until this new development.
Ochman revealed this week that he plans to break
ground on Fairhaven Heights allotment in early spring and expects
to have between 50 and 100 homes completed by December 1956.
Fairhaven Heights will include paved streets
(asphalt), sewers, city water, gas, and electric power, street
lighting, and police and fire protection. Driveways will be built
for all homes and Ochman estimates the entire allotment will be
completed within about three years though the work could be done
sooner if the demand made it necessary.
A Cleveland paint company will paint all the
Ochman–built homes in the development and will use a different
color scheme on each home, thus eliminating the appearance of
a “project” in Fairhaven Heights.
Acting as developer, builder, and seller, Ochman is able to build
homes in Fairhaven Heights at a lower cost than many other similar
allotments.
One of the model homes to be built in Fairhaven
Heights is on display at Handy Andy, a restaurant in McKinley
Heights on Rt. 422 north of Niles from noon to 9 pm each day and
further information on Fairhaven Heights can be obtained there. |
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