For many people, the Oregon District is synonymous with that stretch of bars, restaurants, and shops on East Fifth St. running from Patterson Boulevard to Wayne Ave. Residents, of course, know that there’s much more. But in addition to the neighborhood’s beautiful homes (deserving of their series of posts), commercial development is expanding on Wayne, and several popular businesses have been in operation for many years on the District’s other streets. Some businesses in this article are well-known, but a couple might be new to many readers. Most of them occupy buildings with significant history, as well.
Urban Krag Climbing Center (125 Clay St.)
An old church sits at the corner of Class and Clay Streets, but you won’t find pews and an altar inside these days, as it’s now an active climbing gym. The 1888 Second Reformed Church was marked for demolition in 1994 when it had been abandoned for over 30 years. But Daytonian Karl Williams had other ideas and he renovated and restored the building for use as a climbing gym, a business he had been planning to launch for a while. Williams solicited the help of a team of climbing wall specialists from Seattle to build out the space, and Urban Krag is frequently cited as one of the most creative (and successful) adaptive reuse projects in the wider area. Urban Krag Climbing Center
Deaf Monty’s Wine/Inn Port D’Vino (22 Brown St.)
Dayton residents Jeff and Leslie Gonya dreamed of owning a bed and breakfast in the area, so they opened the Inn Port Guesthouse at 139 Brown St in 2003. After some initial success they opened a second location in the 1877 Victorian home just down the street at 22 Brown. They dubbed the new location Inn Port D’Vino and billed it as a “European Retreat.” Due to the new inn’s wine theme and the fact that many of their guests asked where they could get a bottle of wine, in 2011 the Gonyas opened Deaf Monty’s Wine at the Brown St. inn location where you can enjoy a glass of wine or buy a bottle to take home. Deaf Monty’s Wine
Jay’s Seafood (225 E 6th St.)
One of Dayton’s best seafood spots, Jay’s also has arguably the coolest history of any restaurant in the area. The eatery itself dates back to 1976, when Jay Haverstick took a chance on a downtown-area restaurant during an era when most other businesses were fleeing to the suburbs. But the concept worked, and it’s been a Dayton mainstay ever since offering many varieties of oysters, lobster, crab legs, scallops and much more. The building, however, goes much farther back, as it was constructed in the 1850s and housed the Joseph Kratochwill Dayton Corn and Grist Mill during an era when Dayton was a leading US city for flour milling. The bar at Jay’s also has a significant history as it was carved out of 5,400 pounds of Honduras Mahoganey in 1882 for the Pony House restaurant operated by James Ritty, inventor of the first cash register before John H. Patterson took over his company. When that restaurant was slated for demolition in the 60s, the bar was saved and eventually made its way to Jay’s where you can still marvel at it today. Jay’s Seafood
Wiley’s Comedy Joint (101 Pine St.)
The structure (c. 1871) that today houses a comedy club was for a long time one of the major industrial buildings in the Oregon area, having been occupied by the Gebhart and Marshall Stove Foundry, the Dayton Machine Company, the Ohio Rake Company, the Liensch Box Company, and many more over the years. Later on came a revolving door of eateries including Grammers German Restaurant. But the building’s connection to comedy begins with Dan Lafferty, who opened up a club at Wilmington and Patterson Road in 1979, renaming it Wiley’s the following year. A decade later in 1990 he relocated to the current location in the Oregon district. In 2000, Lafferty sold the club to comedian Rob Haney who understood the difficult economics of a comedy club, once quipping that the way to make a small fortune in the comedy club business is to “start with a large fortune.” A new ownership group bought the club in summer of 2017 and they hope to spruce up the bar area and bring in more big name acts. But despite the challenges of the comedy business, Wiley’s has successfully chugged along for over 25 years at its Pine St. location, making it one of the Oregon’s longest-standing entertainment options. Wiley’s Comedy Joint
Crafted and Cured (District Provisions) (531 Wayne Ave.)
Located in the 1886 Dietz Block building, Crafted and Cured offers 60 beer taps (including a healthy selection of ciders and meads), craft beer and wine for carryout, and a food counter where you can enjoy boards of artisan meats and cheeses. The adjacent storefronts will soon see new life too, including Mediterranean restaurant Glasz Bleu Oven, an oyster bar, a deli and other food retail. Residents are eager to find out whether these planned deli and grocery additions will provide staples and everyday shopping items in addition to upscale, high-end specialty foods. Back in February 2014, a local investor bought the building to refurbish it and in June 2015 new developers applied for a liquor permit for both on-premise and carry-out sales. Crafted & Cured had its soft opening in April 2016 and was fully open later that year. The retail businesses have been a little slower in getting off the ground, but the Glasz Bleu Oven restaurant has earned great reviews. Crafted and Cured
Wheat Penny (515 Wayne Ave)
This building has been the site of more than one popular Dayton restaurant in recent years, as it used to be Coco’s Bistro which departed for its current location on Warren St. in 2012. But since then it has housed Wheat Penny, which serves up gourmet pizzas and Italian favorites including pastas, burgers, and more. Wheat Penny was the second restaurant for Elizabeth Wiley, founder of Meadowlark in Washington Township, who bought the building shortly after Coco’s vacated the space. Longtime friend Liz Valenti came on to run Wheat Penny’s kitchen, as it was her experiments with pizza that first appeared at Meadowlark as a Monday night special. Those pizzas were a hit, and now you don’t have to wait until Monday or leave the Oregon District to enjoy them. But be sure to try Wheat Penny’s non-pizza specialties too, which include an eggplant fries appetizer and a Cauliflower t-bone entree. Wheat Penny
Belle of Dayton (122 Van Buren St)
Brothers Murphy, Mike, and Tim LaSelle launched this craft distillery in 2013 after studying the craft extensively in the years previous. The LaSelles see their business as a link to Dayton’s past, an era before Prohibition when “grist mills and distilleries dotted the Miami Valley” and “spirits were distilled the old-fashioned way—with hard-work, ingenuity, and honest craftsmanship drawing from the area’s deep, mineral-rich water of the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer.” The distillery has also been turning heads far beyond the Miami Valley, as its vodka won a silver medal at the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition in 2014, and its gin won a Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2017. Belle of Dayton
Dayton Theatre Guild (430 Wayne Ave)
The Dayton Theatre Guild has been doing live theater since 1945, but has shuffled locations a few times since then before settling in the Oregon. It started at the Dayton Art Institute, before settling into a carriage house in the Dayton View neighborhood in 1950. Next the theater moved to 2330 Salem Ave in 1963 where it would stay for nearly 50 years (that building has now been demolished). It moved to the District in 2008, purchasing the building at 430 Wayne Ave which it converted from an amateur boxing gym (the former Dayton Gym Club) into a theater, just in time for the 2009-10 season. Over the years the Guild has staged over 400 productions. Dayton Theatre Guild
Oregon Tails Pet Salon (502 Wayne Ave)
The cluster of buildings on the east side of Wayne across from Wheat Penny and Crafted and Cured might not look too vibrant, but there are a few active businesses in operation there. A good one to check out is the Oregon Tails Pet Salon. The salon caters to cats and dogs of all breeds and sizes and offers services ranging from a simple bath to a full-service grooming package. You can even upgrade to a cocoa tar shampoo, a natural color enhancing shampoo that both fights pet dandruff and leaves a light chocolate scent. Oregon Tails Pet Salon
Bicycles for All (201 E 6th St.)
The imposing Armory Building is one of the few built along the path of the former canal that still survives. Today you’ll see a law firm’s name prominently featured above the door, but many Daytonians are unaware that a bike shop also occupies the building (its entrance is off Patterson in the parking lot behind the building). And even once you learn that fact, you might still not get what the shop is all about. I’ll allow them to explain: “We’re not a bike shop that sells cool new bikes and colorful clothing. Instead, Bicycles For All is a place to donate your old bike, pick up a used bike, hang out and read about bike stuff, learn how to maneuver in traffic, clean and fix your bike, learn how to fix a flat tire, and more.” Run as a nonprofit volunteer organization, Bicycles for All is a great resource for the Dayton biking community. Bicycles for All
Present Tense Fitness (222 E 6th St.)
One of the newer additions to the Oregon District business roster, Present Tense Fitness opened in June 2016. It offers mainly one-on-one personal training classes, also incorporating yoga and lifestyle coaching. Co-owner Jason Harrison had been training clients in the Miami Valley for years, working with them in various gyms around the area. Now he has a permanent location which also adds something new to the neighborhood. Present Tense Fitness
* I’ve left off businesses that are technically located off of Fifth but are either in the same building or attached to those fronting Fifth, so sorry Thai 9, Luna, Press, etc. And the new Wheelhouse apartments, Troll Pub, and Speakeasy location #2 are outside the OD boundaries, but they’ll certainly be featured in a future “Oregon East” post.
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