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<p>WYOMING &#8212; Months after Jim Ford&#8217;s lease was terminated abruptly by the owner of the Wyoming Valley Mall, Ford has found a new location for his business.</p><p>These days, Ford Family Auctions is calling the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming its home.</p><p>&#8220;We came to a one-year agreement with (Midway owner) Madison Properties at the end of July,&#8221; said Ford, 46, of Wyoming. &#8220;I&#8217;m no longer homeless. That&#8217;s the main part.&#8221;</p><p>He continued: &#8220;They really threw my business a life preserver. I don&#8217;t know where I&#8217;d be without them.&#8221;</p><p>Ford couldn&#8217;t be happier to finally have the stress of moving from one location to another over with. Now, he can finally focus on his customers.</p><p>&#8220;The last auction we had was out of necessity,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This auction is us doing what we like. Selling quality stuff at our own pace.&#8221;</p><p>Ford&#8217;s new 8,000 square-foot location has seen an increase in foot traffic as potential customers walk by to go to other stores as well as continued support from his loyal customers.</p><p>&#8220;I called the business Ford Family Auctions because it&#8217;s exactly that,&#8221; he mentioned. &#8220;We want our customers to feel like family. We want to put them at ease and not hear excuses.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s more of a community than anything else,&#8221; Ford added. &#8220;It&#8217;s an opportunity to get out of the house. People learn each other&#8217;s names and about different things that people come to our auctions for.&#8221;</p><p>Ford intends on having three auctions a month on Wednesday nights. His store is open throughout the week from 2-4 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and closed Sundays. But Ford is willing to open Sunday or any time if he gets a phone call.</p><p>&#8220;Without the people, my business goes nowhere,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I want people to call us, pay us a visit and check us out on the web and on social media.&#8221;</p><p>Ford originally moved his business from Luzerne to a secondary building at the Wyoming Valley Mall in early July, but found his operation in limbo after mall representatives said he had until the end of the month to pack up and get out.</p><p>The auction firm was booted out of its 10,000 square-foot new digs after Ashley Furniture HomeStore signed a multi-year lease occupying space that includes the former H.H. Gregg property, Wilkes-Barre Beauty Supply Shop and a vacant store.</p><p>&#8220;You hit bumps in the road,&#8221; Ford said. &#8220;But it&#8217;s about how you react and move on.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Jim Ford, left, of Ford Family Auctions talks to a customer Wednesday at his new location at the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming. Ford was booted from the Wyoming Valley Mall property this summer and had to scramble to find a new space. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/web1_FordFamily1.jpeg.cmyk_.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jim Ford, left, of Ford Family Auctions talks to a customer Wednesday at his new location at the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming. Ford was booted from the Wyoming Valley Mall property this summer and had to scramble to find a new space. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/web1_FordFamily2.cmyk_.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bidding is shown inside Ford Family Auctions during an auction Wednesday at its new location at the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/web1_FordFamily2.cmyk_.jpg</photo1><caption1>Bidding is shown inside Ford Family Auctions during an auction Wednesday at its new location at the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Ford Family Auctions opens in new Wyoming location