Pony Wagon Days Origin

Will Walborn and Freeman Riker worked together painting signs and repairing carriages at Henry Salyor's carriage shop. They decided to start their own business in 1881, located on W Main St., probably where St Paris Hardware is located now.
Both were young and full of ideas. They handled new and and secondhand carriages and did repair work. They bought buggies in the white, 3 for $200, trimmed and painted them and sold them for a profit.
They displayed 6 carriages at the Champaign County Fair in the 1880's, which proved to be a big hit and they sold all 6.
As business contnued to improve, they started doing their own ironwork, and moved to the southeast corner of Poplar and Springfield.
Displays at the Champaign County Fair continued to be a success, and they added a small pony cart. That success prompted them to add a regular line of pony carts.
In 1893, they displayed several of the carts at the World's Fair in Chicago. Wow, they were such a success, and soon received queries from all over the world. So they formed an export agency in New York.
Back in St. Paris, Walborn was a persuasive speaker, and Riker became a Republican Central Committeeman and conversed with Ohio governors.
Then came the automobile and disaster for Walborn and Riker. Sales dropped and the Walborn and Riker Carriage Factory was CLOSED!

So success may have been shortlived, but we celebrate it each year in St. Paris.

Excerpts from History of St Paris By Kathleen Kite Brown