ST. CLAIRSVILLE — A new store had its grand opening at the Ohio Valley Mall last week.

ICR Sales and Services held the grand opening for its new Ohio Valley Mall location on Monday morning. The new store is located beside the HH Gregg electronics store. Store employees said even though they are new, they’re excited to serve the people of the Ohio Valley area.

“It’s a great location,” said store Manager Rich Hathaway. “We were already pretty busy for the grand opening.”

With the new site, ICR now has two stores serving customers in the area with the first store located in Bellaire, where the home office for the chain is also located. The St. Clairsville location has been in the works for around nine months, Hathaway said.

ICR has come a long way since the conception of the original business idea. The business currently known as ICR first began in the early 1900s as the McVey Plumbing Supply business, and then became Bellaire Hardware when it was taken over by Charlie Favish, who in turn passed the business to his son, Morris. When Morris retired in the 1970s, his brother, Simon, bought him out and became the sole owner of the hardware store, expanding the business to the second floor of its Belmont Street location. When the store came under the ownership of Tom and Janice Sable in 1984, they rebranded the store as Bellaire Hardware & Equipment Rental, as they began to incorporate small tool rental as part of the business plan. The new idea was a success, and the store soon outgrew its location, moving to a larger store on Hamilton Street in Bellaire. The store was taken over by Kenny Ware in 2007 and renamed ICR Equipment Rental, Sales & Supply. The store has continued to be a success ever since.

ICR offers a wide range of commercial and residential services and products. Many tools and equipment are available for purchase, as are clothes for any work purposes that are demanded. Hathaway said the store offers more specialized services for those who need them, such as sharpening lawn mower blades and chain saw chains, threading pipe up to 6 inches and making custom highway signs. The store carries tools from Proto and Kline, as well as other brands.

“We can rent anything from hand drills to full size bulldozers, and anything in between,” said Hathaway.

For more information, call 740-449-2484.