Dayton Development Thread (Columbus, Kettering, Piqua: restaurants, floor, vs)

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Dayton Sux

Forest Park Plaza, the landmark shopping center on North Main Street

The She. LOL Hottest disco in town.

A little reminiscing: A bunch of us went out to the She one weeknight (this was '79ish) to dance and drink, and there were more girls than guys. We'd been out on the floor dancing as a group for awhile, and as soon as the guys left the dance floor for the bar for a drink, a bouncer came over to tell us that if we wanted to dance with other girls, we could "go to the bar down the street".

That's a big property to redevelop. What's out that way now? North Main always seemed so desolate to me, once you get out that far.

[Ohioan58]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

The She. LOL Hottest disco in town.
We'd been out on the floor dancing as a group for awhile, and as soon as the guys left the dance floor for the bar for a drink, a bouncer came over to tell us that if we wanted to dance with other girls, we could "go to the bar down the street".

No wonder that place always seemed like a sausage fest when I went there. The management drove all the girls off...

[hensleya1]

Tech Firm Brings New Jobs Downtown

Descomm Rewards, a Miamisburg-based company with four employees, is launching a marketing service for retailers to outsource their customer loyalty and engagement programs, and is planning to hire 42 people before the end of the year.

The company is in the final stages of negotiating a lease for 6,500 square feet in the KeyBank Tower and hopes to move in by May 15, said CEO Don Saunders.

Saunders said the company is working with the city on some financing and job creation incentives, as he expects to continue to add 10 to 12 jobs for the next three years, growing his total employment to as much as 80.

[Natural510]

Not sure if this has been covered already, but a new brewery/brewpub is in the works in an old warehouse space near Fifth Third Field. It will be called Fifth Street Brewery, and it will be a cooperative project, where all profits will be reinvested into the space and brewery itself. They're currently selling $100 shares to those who want to be "co-owners" and may eventually see their fees returned as the brewery grows.

FIFTH STREET BREWPUB CO-OP in Dayton Ohio

[Ohioan58]

This is the third or fourth microbrewery I've heard about around Dayton in the last six months. Surely there's gonna be a shakeout. (Or maybe there's nothing to do in Dayton except drink and get a buzz.)

[SWOH]

^Probably a mix of both. I guess this is what happens when people see the success Yuengling has had in the area. Heck

[Natural510]

Well, craft beer is a hot trend nationwide, as is "buying local". So microbreweries satisfy both trends, and are something created in-town, rather than wine bars which import from California, Southern Europe, etc. In the case of Fifth Street, it only makes sense to have a food/beer spot within walking distance of the ballpark, so I think they'll do well. It will also help bridge the area between the ballpark & Oregon.

[Ohioan58]

Don't get me wrong. I love love love unpasteurized, locally produced craft beers. They are like nectar compared to macrobrews.

But what about the Thirsty Dog in Centerville? They were a craft brew pub and they went out of business allegedly due to Centerville's early smoking ban. There was even a brew pub in Lebanon, "Mighty Casey's", and they devolved from making and serving in house beers to just showing off their brewing kettles in back within a couple of months. That place probably died due to poor management, though.

I'm just saying that I'd find the explosion of these places more sustainable if it were more organic and had happened over a span of a few years. All of a sudden craft beer is so "2013." I expect to only see one out of three, IE, the very best managed joints, survive in a couple of years.

PS: Yuengling? Bah, feh. It's a regional Budweiser. Honestly, it's generic stuff. I love the idea that it's still family owned. That gets respect from me. But their stuff to me has no character.

I like Smokey Mountain Brewery in the Gatlinburg area. I always bring back a case of their stuff. But it doesn't travel well - I have to drink it all within a few weeks. I hope at least one of these places makes beer as well as Smokey Mountain.

[Dayton Sux]

^
There was also Miami Trail of a few years back...based in Xenia, perhaps. Thirsty Dog was a branch of an Akron operation, which is still in business up there.

The 5th Street Brewpub co-op...if we are talking the same place.. I'm a member of that co-op (yeah, belive it or not). While I could probably walk there from 5-3 Field, I don't think its really walkable for the average person since the place is in St Annes Hill, which would be a fer piece to walk, for the average Joe.

And I'd be suprised to see this place open. They are taking forever to get the place built. It's located in the old American Saloon, if you all recall that location on 5th.

[Natural510]

I'm a member too...they still seem to be working on the building, but I'm not sure if they've applied for a brewer's permit yet. Hopefully it's just a case of it being a side-project for those involved, with the brewer & staff coming on full-time once it's open.
I also understand what you're saying, Ohioan, and agree the market can only be spread so thin. Hopefully the involvement of members will keep Fifth Street going, though there will be Toxic Brewery (what a name) just up the street in the OD with a better location. I personally prefer to frequent the spots in town vs. the suburbs.