All Around Carousels opens in Mansfield

Eric Tomlinson of All Around Carousels poses for a photo with one of his restoration projects.

The city has a new carousel carving company ― All Around Carousels at 280 N. Diamond St., in the old Toy Time building.

Eric Tomlinson of Mansfield, formerly of Carousel Works of Mansfield, bought the building in 2022 and is already carving and restoring carousels from his spacious shop for customers all over the country.

The talented artist is a 2001 graduate of Lexington High School, and a graduate of The Ohio State University where he majored in art. He was employed at the Columbus Museum of Art before joining the former Carousel Works carving company where he worked for about 11 years.

His new home, a two-story building which offers him plenty of space for carousel animals and figurines, is already filling up with wooden carousel parts and pieces, some of which he purchased from the former Carousel Works.

He currently also works at Bundy Baking Solutions in Mansfield and runs his carousel business.

Picked up a carousel horse in Atlanta

Tomlinson, 41, originally from Warsaw, Indiana, moved to Mansfield in 1990 when his father came to the city to work at United Telephone company.

This past week he showed visitors his shop, including an elegantly painted carousel horse named Renegade he bought from a woman in Atlanta who had wanted to have it repaired.

Pieces from the former Carousel Works are now lining the shelves of All Around Carousels.

He said the woman wanted it to have a permanent home but didn’t know it was so costly to ship so Tomlinson drove to Atlanta to buy it and now it’s on permanent display at his shop.

“He’ll even be our store mascot,” he said he told the woman, adding she could come and see it whenever she wanted.

Tomlinson is currently working to restore a child’s carousel for an Illinois customer who owns a toy store, cafe and more where the carousel sits outside.

“It’s glazed like a candy apple,” he said of the small carousel which has miniature elephants and a circus-like top which he has restored.

“It’s button activated and is free for all kids,” he said.

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He’s also carving a giraffe for a carousel in Decatur, Ill.

Carousel business took him around the world

Tomlinson said with Carousel Works he was always traveling and the work took him and others to South Korea four times, England, Finland, France, Bahamas, Abu Dhabi and more, until he was laid off and the company closed operations in Mansfield.

He hopes to put up a small carousel on his property on North Main Street. He already has the metal structure and will need to make the horses and figurines.

He said he never gets tired of seeing peoples’ eyes light up when they see and hear a carousel.

“People of all ages,” he said. He helped fix some figurines that Carousel Works carved at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, including bears, turtles, owls, snails, groundhogs, an eagle and more. He said a patient, a little boy, shot suction darts at a glass wall while he was fixing a carousel figurine, making him laugh.

His wife Anna helps him in the business. And his parents have been very supportive.

The couple have two daughters, Skye, 4, and Noel, 2. They also paint murals in their play area upstairs.

He said growing up he fell in love with art as his mother, aunt and grandma were always doing crafts in the basement and going to craft shows.

The entire family loves to visit carousels.

Clients seem to find All Around Carousels on social media and also through the National Carousel Association, he said.

He is proud to be carrying on a tradition that he loves and plans to fill the shop with carvers as the business grows.

He misses traveling but loves being with his family and starting his new business in Mansfield.

To contact All Around Carousels, call 419-610-1262.

lwhitmir@gannett.com

419-521-7223

Twitter: @LWhitmir

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Carousel carving business is in old Toy Time building on Diamond St.