PLAIN TWP. – When it comes to making and selling wine, Melissa and Matt Smith aren't what might be considered traditional.

While most wineries are found in the palatial countryside, Forever Urban Craft Winery started off in downtown Akron and now calls the Oakwood Square shopping plaza home.

More:See what Forever Urban Craft Winery has to offer, and maybe place an order.

More:John's Bar now open in Oakwood Square Plaza following move from Canton

The 17 wines made by the Smiths include what one would expect — cabernet, chardonnay, malbec and sauvignon blanc. But grapes aren't the only fruit that can be used to make wines, so Forever Urban's list includes offerings such as Green Apple Envy, Peach Fuzz and Hilbert's Pineapple Juice Bomb.

Finally, the Smiths have designed their winery to have the feel of a brewery. There's a large bar, with seating similar to a brewery, televisions and a lounge area. If you drop in with someone who doesn't like wine, there will be Ohio craft beers on tap.

Matt Smith started off home brewing beer. It became a passion and he pondered opening a brewery. He wanted to install a six-tap keg system in their home. While Melissa encouraged the brewery idea, Matt figured he could sell her on the keg system by offering to make wine.

Melissa couldn't couldn't pass on the idea of making their own wine. It turned out that the wine varieties were hits with their friends. That led to the wine business.

The Smiths said they initially considered a combination winery and brewery. The coronavirus pandemic changed those plans. They sold their wines wholesale at first, then opened a tasting room when businesses reopened.

The Smiths live in Plain Township. As developers renovated Oakwood Square, the couple figured it made sense to bring their winery closer to home.

Because Forever Urban Craft wines are made locally, the Smiths decided to go with locally sourced food on the menu. The winery offers meats and cheeses from purveyors in Amish Country. If you are with someone who prefers non-alcoholic beverages, they can choose from Norka sodas.

The winery at 2640 Easton St. NE is open from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Live music events are scheduled for some Friday and Saturday nights.

Wines made by Forever Urban Craft Winery also can be found at breweries and retailers in the region.

Directors at TimkenSteel have offered to reward shareholders and buy back some of the company's stock.

TimkenSteel's board approved a plan to repurchase up to $50 million worth of its outstanding common shares. The timing, number and value of shares repurchased will depend on various factors, including the price, general market and economic conditions and capital needs. The program can be modified and doesn't require the company to acquire any dollar amount or number of shares.

The company's directors also approved a capital expenditure budget of $40 million for 2022. More than half of the investment will be dedicated to high return internal investment projects, Mike Williams, president and chief executive officer, said in a press release.

Williams said changes TimkenSteel has made over the past two years have created the "financial flexibility to return capital to shareholders while also investing in the business to drive profitable growth."

The managed IT services offered by Visual Edge Technology are expanding with the acquisition of Slash Point Sales and Service, based in Emmetsburg, Iowa.

More:Locally based Visual Edge Technology works with customers across the country.

Slash Point has nearly 15 years in the management service industry and brings a broad base of expertise to Visual Edge and its Midwest territory, Visual Edge said in a press release announcing the deal.

Slash Point adds to the managed IT services that Visual Edge can offer customers in its Midwest markets, Austin Vanchieri, chairman and CEO said in the release.

Based in Lake Township, Visual Edge has nearly 90 locations in 21 states.

The James Webb Space Telescope launched on Christmas Day will rely on Timken Co. bearings as it deploys and transmits information from space..

More:Timken has spot on NASA’s next space telescope

Ball bearings designed by Timken are used to secure deployment booms that support the Webb telescope’s kite-like sunshield. A set of steel duplex precision ball bearings will help to turn and direct a communications antenna toward Earth.

Timken engineers started 12 years ago working with NASA to design the bearings and related materials for the telescope. Timken bearings have been used on space missions since the late 1950s.

Housing sales in Northeast Ohio and around the state remained ahead of the 2020 pace, according to data released by the Ohio Realtors.

Real estate agents in MLS Now — a 23-county area that includes Stark County — reported selling 5,007 units in November, a 5.4% increase from 4,752 sold in November 2020. Statewide, agents sold 14,290 properties, up 5.5% from 13,545 sold last year.

Through the first 11 months of 2021, agents in the MLS Now region reported selling 52,973 properties, up 4.6% from 50,637 sold during 2020. Around Ohio, 155,137 properties have been sold so far in 2021, up 5.3% from 147,295 sales reported in 2020.