Dayton937

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Bill Franz

Dayton at Work and Play: Kait Gilcher- Heart Co-Owner

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Several people have suggested I post about Heart Mercantile because they’ve done so many good things for Dayton, so I stopped by recently and met Kait. I asked her how long the business has been in operation.
“Brittany Smith started the business in 2015” she told me. “It wasn’t in this location but it’s always been in the Oregon District. That’s worked out well for us. People visit the area often so there are always folks walking by. People also bring out of town guests to the Oregon District, because it’s one of the areas that make our city special. While they are here they can stop in for a souvenir of their visit to Dayton.”
I see that many of your products relate to Dayton. “Our shop offers a wide variety of gifts, but we specialize in items that relate to Dayton. We say we’re Dayton-centric. All of the Dayton themed items are designed by us and to the extent possible they’re also made in Dayton.”
A lot has happened during your 10 years of operation – the day 14 tornadoes hit the city, the mass shooting on this street, the pandemic. I understand your business has done a lot to help people through those troubles.
“That’s something we’re passionate about. We try to give back as much as we can, and we have a donation center to make it easy for others to support the causes we care about. You mentioned the Oregon District shootings. Just two days after that terrible event we designed a new shirt to honor the vic

tims and the #DaytonStrong movement and donated all of the profits to a fund created by the Dayton Foundation.”
Is anything happening soon that you’d like to mention?
“Derby Day will be here soon, with a fashion show and wiener dog races. That’s always fun. And we do monthly block parties. The Oregon District is a great part of Dayton and we try to contribute in our own way to keeping the area interesting. “

Heart Mercantile

In the Oregon District
601 E. 5th Street,
Dayton, OH 45402
Open daily 11am – 8pm

Bill Franz’s Hidden Figures: Elon

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I’ve always assumed that undocumented immigrants were wage earners. I was wrong. Hundreds of thousands of them have built businesses here. Those businesses tend to be small because it takes capital to grow a business, and raising capital can draw unwanted attention. That’s what happened to Elon, according to an October, 2024 article in the Washington Post. The Post interviewed Elon’s business associates, reviewed court records and got copies of company contracts to tell the following:
In 1995 Elon and his brother went to California to start a business, but the two Canadians did not have legal work status. Like most undocumented immigrants they had little capital so they slept in their office to save money. They worked hard and by 1996 the business was taking off. Investors were ready to put in money, but when they learned that Elon and his brother were undocumented they protected themselves with an unusual funding agreement. If the brothers did not get legal work status in 45 days the investors could reclaim their money. “We don’t want our founder being deported” one director was quoted as saying.
We don’t know if Elon met that 45 day deadline. People tell me getting legal work status is a long, slow process that takes years. We do know that he wasn’t deported, and in 2002 the business was sold for $300 million. Elon became a U.S. citizen that same year.
Elon denies the Post’s account but has given little detail about his journey from being Canadian to becoming a U.S. citizen. Elon’s brother is more candid. In 2013 he told interviewers that when the two brothers started their first business in the U.S. “We were illegal immigrants.”
The Post article tells us that the world’s richest man started his business career as an undocumented immigrant. What an inspiration to the hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who have built businesses here. I wish Elon would share details of his immigration journey. I’m sure that his fellow entrepreneurs would like to know how to get legal status in 45 days. Then, with the threat of deportation removed, those small businesses might grow and bring benefits to us all.

Hidden Figures: Salona

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Salona, part of my series Hidden Figures. Salona is a Haitian name that means “rare ruby” or “most beautiful.”

President Trump said the Haitians in Springfield are criminals who eat people’s dogs and cats. In fact they are legal, documented immigrants recruited by local businesses and supported by city officials as being good for the community.

The Springfield News-Sun quoted one of the Haitian immigrants: “No one wants to leave their native country, but a lot of bad things are happening right now because of the gangsters. We’re working here, we’re paying taxes here. We’re just trying to pursue a better life.”

The president says he is taking away the Haitian’s status as legal immigrants in August. That would force them to choose between returning to a violent, dangerous homeland and  becoming “hidden figures” unable to work, drive or do other things legally. If he carries through with this threat the president will be hurting our local economy and increasing the number of undocumented immigrants.

It’s clear to me that the president’s attitude towards the Haitians employed in Springfield would be different if they were white. Just compare his statements about those Haitians with his statements about white farmers who are citizens of South Africa. He offered those white farmers a rapid pathway to U.S. citizenship if the South African government took actions that made them feel unsafe.

The president has always been in favor of immigration – as long as the immigrants are white.  During his first time in office he repeatedly said he wanted more immigrants from “nice” (white) countries like Norway. Some of the people closest to the president are white immigrants, including his first wife, his current wife and his most important advisor, Elon Musk.

Facing discrimination because they are not white is nothing new for black undocumented immigrants. They have always been more likely to be deported than other immigrants, and more likely to suffer abuse during the process. I hope Salona and her family stay safe.

 

Dayton at Work and Play: Chef Dane

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Conversation with Chef Dane Shipp at the Nood Bar, one of the four restaurants at the Silos (801 East First). I asked Chef Dane how he got into the food business.
“I went to Sinclair part-time and eventually got into their culinary program. I was also working at Chappy’s Tap Room. After 8 years at Chappy’s I went to Lock 27 and became their executive chef. When the pandemic hit in 2020 I had to lay off almost everyone at Lock 27. I was doing all of the ordering all of the cooking and all of the cleanup – and making less money. I quit and became an executive chef.”
“The pandemic was a great time to be an executive chef. People couldn’t go out to restaurants but they still wanted to have dinner parties and eat good food. Just a few weeks after I started I had a 4 month backlog of work. Some of the people I cooked for then have been great supporters of my restaurants.”
“In 2023 I opened my first restaurant, at 416 E Fifth in the Oregon District. It’s called “Culture.” It only seats 36 people so it has a cozy atmosphere.”
I saw an article in “Eater,” a website dealing with food all over the world, that included Culture in their list of the top 18 restaurants in Dayton. The article mentioned an item on your menu called the Drip Burger. What’s that?
“We change our offerings often, but the Drip Burger is always on the menu. It’s made with local Honey Creek beef, farm-made American cheese, caramelized onions, pickled cherry peppers, and Drip sauce on a potato bun.”
The Nood Bar has a whole different menu than your first restaurant. Tell me about that.
“When I was younger I had three roommates from Laos and I fell in love with the Asian food they cooked. The Nood Bar takes their Asian style dishes and puts our own twist on it. Take our chicken ramen, for example. My roommates from Laos wouldn’t have topped their dish with collards.”
“I like being located here at The Silos and I think it’s going to be even better once the weather warms and patio seating opens up. We’re getting a lot of large groups and families, because with four restaurants sharing the same bar and seating area there’s food to appeal to everyone.”
Nood Bar at The Silos
810 E 1st St.
Dayton, OH, 45402

authentic noodles, bao buns, and dumplings, a celebration of Asian cuisine

Tuesday – Thursday 4-10 PM
Friday 4 PM – Midnight
Saturday 11 AM – Midnight
Sunday 11 AM – 7 PM

 

New Photo Series By Bill Frana: Hidden Figures

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The inspiration for this series was President Trump’s lies about the Haitian  immigrants in Springfield.  His statement that they are criminals who eat people’s cats and dogs caused even Ohio’s Republican officials to complain.   When a powerful person lies it makes me wonder what he’s hiding.  It makes me want to know more about all of the immigrants he’s threatened and lied about.  That eventually led me to this series.

As I post the pieces in this series I’ll share some of the things I’ve learned about our country’s immigrants.  In this piece some basic facts are built into the image.  The boy is standing on an orange floor that takes up 11% of the image because 11% of the people now in the U.S. were born elsewhere and have documents that show they are now U.S. citizens or legal residents.

The gold band represents the 3% of people in the U.S. who were born elsewhere and don’t have documents.  These are the millions of “hidden figures” President Trump says he’ll round up, imprison and send out of the country.

The background in blue refers to the 85% of people in the U.S. who are descendants of immigrants.

The top line is 1% of the image.  It represents the only U.S. residents who are not immigrants or their descendants – Native Americans.

This series is about undocumented immigrants – hidden figures – and in this piece  I’m using a photo of the boy I call Mateo to represent one of them.  I have no idea whether this boy is actually an undocumented immigrant.  He could be a fifth generation American.   When I’m given the opportunity to photograph a child like this I don’t ask about his immigration status.  I just say thank you and take the photo.

Dayton at Work and Play: Judd Platternburg, Sugarcereek Photography Gallery

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I’m inspired every time I visit this gallery showing more than 300 prints by 12 excellent photographers. Recently I asked one of the founding members, Judd Plattenburg, to tell me about the start of the gallery.
“We’d been talking about starting a gallery for years” he told me, “and we finally took the plunge in 2022. The founding group was Jeff Smith, Bill (and Marty) Welch, Bill Woody and me. Since then we’ve added photographers and there are now a total of 12 of us.”
“Each photographer here has a different style and each focuses on a different subject area. My work includes a lot of shots taken from the water. Paddling is a hobby of mine and I love connecting my paddling hobby with my photography hobby. I am also showing quite a few shots taken in Cuba right now. I’ve visited there six times and have gotten great photos on each trip.”
“The photos you see on that wall are by Bill and Marty Welch. They are nature photographers and they’ve travelled from the Amazon to the Arctic Circle to get great photos. Marty has a photo of a polar bear cub cuddling with its mother that I just love. To get it they took a small plane to an island in the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska.”
“The photos on display here are always changing, and sometimes even the whole theme of an area in the gallery changes. Bill Woody has been exhibiting his Urban Exploration photos for a while and he gave a talk about it last Saturday. Now I think he’s going to change everything and show his rural Ohio landscapes.”
I asked about the price range of the work in the gallery.
“Photography is generally less expensive than other art forms such as painting and sculpture. We have some pieces priced below $100 but most of the work is in the $200 to $400 range. Photography is also a lot more flexible than other art forms. Sometimes a person will like a work on display but its size is too great, so we print a smaller (and less costly) version for the customers. Other times a person is trying to make a dramatic statement in a large room, so we enlarge a photo he likes and make it 5 feet long.”

Sugarcreek Photography Gallery
15 West Franklin St.
Bellbrook, OH 45305

Hours:

Thurs & Fri
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Sat & Sun 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Or call 973-317-0170 for Appt

Dayton At Work and Play: Nate Lansangan of KungFu BBQ

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Four food vendors are now open at The Silos. Each operates out of a 20 foot shipping container located in a corner of the building. In the center you have a bar and lots of seating. I plan to sample food from each vendor, starting with KungFu BBQ.
I asked Nate about the origins of his business.
“In 2020 my father and I cooked 20 meals and served them to friends in the food industry” Nate told me. “They liked our food and posted about it on social media. Their encouragement lead us to cook at a few pop-ups and then to buy a food truck in 2021. The food truck was successful and lead to us being invited to open a spot at Wright Pat and now this location at the Silos.”
What’s your food background?
“My mom grew up in Hawaii and is Japanese and German. Dad’s parents were Filipino and German. Both cooked family recipes that I love. I also learned a lot cooking at a boy’s school in New York. The kids came from 18 different countries and when I’d enlist them to help in the kitchen they’d show me how to cook some of their favorite foods from home.”
My favorite item from your menu is something different – your pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich. How did that come about?

“I knew people would expect a barbecue restaurant to have a pulled pork sandwich, but I wanted to make ours special. We start with great pork, smoked over cherry wood and apple wood to give it a sweet, slightly fruity taste. Then I added cheese and a peach melba sauce. That tasted good, especially when I learned the best way to toast the bread (from Baker Benji in Dayton’s Old North End) but I felt it still needed something. Apple sauce is often served with pork, so I tried apple slices in the sandwich. I also switched to Havarti cheese, because it goes well with fruit. The result is perfect, at least to my taste.”
The sandwich is also perfect to my taste. The only problem is that I may not sample anything else on the KungFu BBQ menu. I may just stick with that sandwich.

810 E. First
Dayton, OH 45402

Tuesday – Thursday 4-10 PM
Friday 4 PM – Midnight
Saturday 11 AM – Midnight
Sunday 11 AM – 7 PM

Dayton At Work and Play: Ed Dixon

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I remember showing some of my work at the gallery’s original location near the Arcade. Now it is in a great space near RiverScape.

Ed’s gallery is best known for its annual “We’re Doing it ALL Wrong” exhibition that runs from August 1 to September 28 this year. Artists from across the country submit work that highlights important social issues. I asked Ed where he got the idea for this annual show.

“I started my gallery 7 years ago” he told me. “From the first I wanted to do an exhibition with art work that was thoughtful and thought provoking – maybe even art that spurred people to take action. I didn’t want it to be political. I wanted it focused on issues. During that annual exhibition we sometimes have nonprofit nights, where people can learn more about the local groups that are addressing the issues referenced by the artists in the show.”

There is an interesting mix of art currently in the gallery, with prices ranging from $100 to $8,500. In the first photo above, Ed is standing in front of a beautiful painting by Beavercreek resident Alisa H Workman. She describes her work as lightly abstract floral art.

A group of colorful abstracts currently in the gallery was painted in Cuba by the late Julio Antonio Pino Varens. He had a friend in Dayton who arranged to have the work sent here.

 

 

Also traveling a fair distance are the two pieces currently in the corner by California artist Juko. “She grew up in Dayton” Ed told me. “We went to school together. We lost touch when she moved away and only recently reconnected. In California she got a PhD and has had a great career in forest conservation. And she paints amazing abstract works that I’m happy to bring to Dayton.”
“One of the things I like most about having a gallery is choosing what work to show. This spring we’ll be showing work by Dayton’s Susanne Scherette King. I’ll enjoy being surrounded by her work for a month.”


Next time you’re downtown you should stop by Edward A Dixon Gallery and see what art Ed is currently surrounding himself with.

222 North St Clair
Dayton, OH 45402

Hours:
Thurs, Sat & Sun 12pm – 5pm
Friday 3pm – 8pm

Can’t visit during normal hours?  Make an appointment!
Click here to make an appointment or
You can also call 937-985-2115 or email info@eadgallery.com.

Dayton at Work and Play: Miami Valley Meals

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Conversation is with Amanda DeLotelle, Executive Director of Miami Valley Meals , a local nonprofit that started during the pandemic. I asked Amanda to give me a tour and tell me how Miami Valley Meals came about.
“Just before the pandemic hit, I lost my job when Citilites at the Schuster Center closed. Executive Chef and colleague, Matt DeAngulo reached out to see how we could help our neighbors facing food insecurity with an impending pandemic. Matt’s friend, Bill Evans (founder of Evan’s Bakery), connected us to the House of Bread and in short order, we recruited our food service pals to help support.”
“Approximately 40% of food goes to waste in the U.S. At the same time, 1 in 7 people in Montgomery County face food insecurity. We’re trying to help bridge that gap. We focus on what we’re good at – cooking – and collaborate with others who know how to take care of everything else. We get donated surplus food from Gordon Food Service, the Dayton Food Bank, NCR Country Club and many other places. Our team transforms this food into complete meals that are distributed through over 50 different nonprofits. Those nonprofits know how to get the food to the people who need it the most.
“We get a lot of help from volunteers. These volunteers from Premier Health that you’re photographing just plated 700 meals that are being loaded into our freezer. The meals can be reheated in the oven or in a microwave.”
“Our meals typically have a protein, starch, vegetable and dessert. Today’s meal consisted of southwest turkey stuffed peppers with green beans and lemon berry bread pudding. That sauce chef Laura let you taste is for the blackberry teriyaki wings that will be part of our next meal.”
“Anyone who would like to help by donating food, funds or by volunteering, can find out more at miamivalleymeals.org”

As a former businessman, I like the strategy of Miami Valley Meals. I like that you do only what you’re best at and then work with others to do everything else. But how do you do your part? How can anyone make 700 meals each day out of whatever food is donated?

“It is a challenge,” she told me. “Having a talented culinary team with years of varied experience and food backgrounds makes the difference.”
Our executive chefs are Laura Cotton (in the Miami Valley Meals shirt) and Angela Abnett (black hat). Laura was a chef at the Dayton Engineers Club and House of Bread previously, and has a Cajun and Creole cooking background. You can also catch her at the bar she co-owns – The Phone Booth Lounge. Angela was a chef at Citilites for many years. She makes the most wonderful vegetarian and vegan dishes. Taste them and you’d never miss the meat.”
Other chefs on our team bring different skills. Chef Marilyn (striped hat) joined us from the Goodwill Senior Community Service Employment Program and previously ran a kitchen at a large institution so she understands bulk cooking. Plus, she’s an amazing baker. We were thrilled she chose to stay on with us after her program ended.
Chef Julisa spent time studying hospitality and culinary at Ivy Tech in Indiana. Besides MVM, she works part-time at Sueno, an upscale Mexican eatery downtown as well as Blind Dogs, an elevated hot dog cart which you can regularly find in the Oregon District in warmer months.
In total, this is an amazingly experienced and creative team – just what you need to turn donated food into a great dining experience for our neighbors who are facing tough circumstances and could use a little light.
Volunteering at MVM

Join the scoop squad! The culinary team can always use an extra hand in the kitchen. Weekly, monthly, twice-a-year, whatever works for you.

They have volunteer opportunities for individuals or groups!

If you would like to register a GROUP to volunteer, please email taylor@miamivalleymeals.org to get started.

For more information on Miami Valley Meals go to our website: miamivalleymeals.org

Bill Franz’s Buy Local Spotlight: Pink Moon Goods

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This week’s Buy Local conversation is with Kathleen Hotmer of PinkMoonGoods. My wife suggested her. She likes the store’s unique items and likes being on the store’s email list. She said the emails don’t come too often and they are interesting to read.
Kathleen liked hearing this. “People say you need email marketing, but I get so annoyed with the flood of emails I get. I wait until I have something to say and then write a blog post for my website. Then I take part of that blog post and send it out as an email. Finally I make an even shorter version for a social media post. That keeps my workload manageable.”
“The blog increased traffic to our website, which helped us get some online sales. Most of our sales are from the local community, but on a cold day like this when people are bundled up at home it’s nice to be getting some online business.”
I asked how she would describe her store. “We sell home goods that are beautiful, practical and ethically manufactured. In fact this store location itself fits that same description. The owners took a building that had been abandoned for years and made it beautiful. It also works on a practical level and giving new life to a building built in 1900 is as ethical as it gets.”
I asked her to tell me about a few products. “The print in the window is by two sisters. All of their art deals with a love of nature and a rejection of a throw-away mentality. This print shows a poem that the two use as a prayer whenever they eat together.”
“Those are Iris Hantverk brushes on that shelf. Since the firm was first founded they have been handmade by visually impaired craftsmen.”
“The towels you looked at are Imbari towels. I’ve used them for years. They are the softest and most absorbent towels imaginable. When I opened this shop they made me their only distributor outside of Japan. The towels are a popular gift item. Then people often come back and buy one for themselves.”

Kathleen has many more products.

You should drop by and see if she has an interesting story to go with each one.

 

 

PinkMoonGoods

Historic Huffman Neighborhood
2027 East Fifth Street
Dayton, Ohio 45403

937-999-4231

Shop Hours:
Tuesday – Friday 11am – 6pm
Saturday 12 – 5pm

Bill Franz’s Buy Local Spotlight: Noah Faler

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Today’s Buy Local Monday conversation is with Noah Faler at Yellow Springs Pottery

Yellow Springs is a great place to buy local. It’s filled with locally owned restaurants, locally owned shops and art by local artists. Whenever I’m in Yellow Springs I like to stop by Yellow Springs Pottery, a cooperative retail store run by nine excellent ceramic artists. Recently I talked with the most recent artist to join this co-op, Noah Faler.
“I was a visiting artist here last summer” he told me. “Then they invited me to join the group. Yellow Springs Pottery has been around for 51 years, and has always had wonderful pottery for sale. I remember walking through the store when I was a high school student, marveling at the work. Now I’m selling my own work here; its my dream.”
“This shop is a great place for people who would like to start collecting work by local artists, because the nine ceramic artists here have such different styles. There’s something here to appeal to everyone. And there’s a wide range of price points.”
“My own work is always evolving. I like to push forms and patterns. Sometimes I try a new pattern or a new shape and explore it, one piece then inspires another concept.”
I asked about three pieces that had a geometric design that included orange – not a typical pottery color. Noah picked one of them up and showed me how the pattern was interesting, but very different, when viewed from the side or from the top or from the bottom. I asked Noah how he learned to be a potter.
“I started making pottery on the wheel when I was a student at Xenia High School. I loved it and took all the ceramics courses they had. Then I took a break from pottery for a while but found that I really missed it. I found myself back on the wheel and I’ve had my hands in clay ever since.”
“Three years ago I quit my job and committed myself to pottery full time. I make my work in my home studio in Spring Valley, about 20 minutes drive from here. I also teach pottery fundamentals at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton. I love inspiring others to take the wheel.”
Kings Yard
222 Xenia Avenue
Yellow Springs, OH 45387

Hours
​Sun – Fri 12:00 – 5:30
Saturday 11:00 – 5:30

Dayton at Work & Play: All The Best Delicatessen

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Carin Solganik

This week’s Buy Local Monday conversation is with Carin Solganik of All The Best Delicatessen.

When my wife and I moved to Dayton from Cleveland we found many things here that we loved, but we missed our regular visits to Corky and Lenny’s delicatessen. When I learned that Corky and Lenny’s was one of the inspirations for this Dayton restaurant I knew I had to try it.
Owner Lee Schear says he’s always wanted to bring an authentic New York deli to Dayton. He recruited Carin to set it up after she retired from Heinen’s Grocery store in Cleveland. “Before starting this restaurant I went to New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas and elsewhere” she said “and I learned something at every stop about how to run a deli and how to source the best ingredients. I got lots of recipes from the delis I visited and had Lee taste them all. We ended up using all the best, which is where the restaurant’s name comes from.”
I tried their Ruben, and loved it. This will be definitely be one of my regular lunch stops. I’m looking forward to trying their cheesecake and comparing it to the cheesecake I loved at Corky and Lenny’s. Carin said she went through a lot of versions before choosing a cheesecake recipe. It’s made to their specifications by Sweet Butter Bakery in Cincinnati. They also carry baked goods from Cleveland’s Davis Bakery.
I tasted two of their soups and thought they were great. Carin told me they make their soups using stock they make themselves. They also make their own deli salads and even their own mustard. Carin says they’re doing everything they can to bring the best possible New York style deli food to Dayton.

All The Best Delicatessen

5940 Far Hills Ave
Dayton, OH, 45429
937-999-4204
Open 7 Days a week
7:00am to 8:00pm

Dayton at Work and Play: Kate Huser Santucci

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For the last month Monday has been Buy Local day, where I’ve posted a brief conversation with someone selling goods or services in the Miami Valley.
This week my Buy Local conversation is with Kate Huser Santucci who is about to have her first exhibition of 2025. Kate uses as many as 30 layers of encaustic material on her pieces. That gives her work a sense of depth that draws viewers into the artwork.
Kate tells me she took up encaustic work just over 10 years ago. She was drawn to the ethereal feel of some encaustic work and the versatility of the medium. “You can be sculptural or really painterly, you can scratch parts off or draw lines on and do all kinds of other things” she told me.
“This exhibition is called Water Rising. I first started working on these pieces thinking about water and climate change but as time passed I realized these pieces meant other things to me on a personal level. They refer to trying to keep your head above water, trying to keep afloat. They’re about adapting to the added stressors of this time.”
“The show will be in the Dutoit Gallery (Front Street Warehouse, 1001 E 2nd St, Building 100, Door BC, Floor 3) all January. The opening is on First Friday, January 3 from 5 to 9 and after that the gallery is open every Saturday 12 to 4.”

Meet Amy Beaver, owner of Butter Cafe

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Both of our daughters are here this Christmas. Whenever they are in town they take their mother out to Butter Cafe (1106 Brown Street) for breakfast or lunch. They like the gluten-free selections, which one of them needs, and they like the ambience. I mentioned that to the restaurant’s owner, Amy Beaver.


“I’m glad to hear that your daughters like the atmosphere here. We’re close to the University of Dayton, and this was once student housing. Even though we can seat 72 patrons the place has a homey feel because it’s divided into smaller spaces that used to be bedrooms or living rooms. We’ve also tried to add some things that add to the warm feeling – like the murals Tiffany Clark painted outside our windows.”


“We offer a broad selection of breakfast and lunch items including some gluten-free and vegan options. Whenever I come across an interesting new recipe I look for a way to tweak it to make it my own. I also think about whether I can do something similar that is vegan or gluten free.”
I asked how she came to open Butter Cafe.”When I was growing up Dad worked in resorts around Hilton Head. Now he and my mother have a restaurant in Michigan, so I’ve been around the food business my whole life. We have a large family and we all had to pitch in and help. Since I was 7 I’ve gotten a charge out of making people happy by giving them food I cooked. I still feel that way, which is why I run a restaurant.”
“A partner and I opened this place 15 years ago. The business has done well but it hasn’t been a smooth ride. I had to get through the sudden unexpected death of my partner, and then the Covid pandemic. I’m so glad my sister Amber moved here in 2020. She’s been a great addition to the restaurant. She does a lot of our baking, a job that my late partner did.”

Amy on the right and her sister Amber on the left.

Butter Cafe

1106 Brown St,
Dayton OH  45409

Hours
Monday–Friday
8am–2pm Saturday – Sunday
8am–3pm

From The Painting Studio To Her Own Gift Shop

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I met Shelly Massey at the studio she once had at Front Street and learned that before moving to Dayton she had taught at large art retreats all over the country.
When I heard she’d opened her own store – Luck Gallery and Gifts . I was curious what type of store an artist would have. I decided to stop by.
“After leaving my Front Street studio I had wanted to open a store for some time, but couldn’t find the right space” Shelly told me. “Then in September I visited my friend Holly at her store “Suburban Hippy.” She told me that the building next door to her was about to become vacant. I contacted the landlord right away, signed the lease in October and opened this store November 1.”
“Creating this new store has been as creative in its own way as painting. I’ve made a space here that I love to spend time in and I’ve filled it with a lot of gift items that make me happy. The reaction from customers has been great to hear. One woman told me “I’ve just been smiling the whole time I’m in your store.”
Luck Gallery and Gifts is filled with an interesting mix of things -puzzles, scarves, mugs, candles, coloring books, cards, bags, etc. I asked about the art on the walls.
“That’s all my art” Shelly said. “I hope to have more of my art up and for sale as soon as I get a handle on things. So the store will have a different look the next time you stop in. In fact, I want that to always be the case. I want to fill the store with a constantly changing mix of things that I love.”
Luck Gallery and Gifts
337 South Main
Springboro, OH 45066
 Tues –  Sat, 10am – 5pm

Up Close with Shola Odumade

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Conversation with Shola Odumade, managing partner & COO of Black Palette Art Gallery (1139 W. Third; 937-723-9108), which she co-owns with her spouse, renowned fine artist James Pate. I asked Shola how she came to be in Dayton.
“I was in an excellent dance program in high school in Detroit and loved it, but I also had many other interests and skills. I went to college and got bachelors and masters degrees in business administration, coupled with Spanish language studies, and later followed by certifications in real estate, birth work, and yoga. But I never lost my love for dance and kept bouncing in and out of it. After undergrad, for example, I spent a summer training and dancing in New York but returned to working in various non-dance positions.”
“18 years ago I decided to give a career in dance another try. I came to Dayton to be part of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s second company. I only danced with them for one season, but I’ve stayed connected and last year I left my job at Sinclair Community College to work in development and marketing at DCDC. I currently serve as grants administrator.”
“One life-changing outcome from my move to Dayton was meeting James. We’ve been together now for 17 years, and we’re excited about running this gallery as a family enterprise with our children and its legacy and impact. James leads the artistic and facilities aspects, and I manage the business side. We love that we’re so near our beloved elder Bing Davis’s EbonNia Gallery (1135 W. Third, 937-223-2290), as he’s been an invaluable mentor to James throughout his life and career.”

Shola next to a piece by her life partner, James Pate.

 

“This is a great time for people to visit Black Palette Art Gallery because we’re currently participating in a new joint art exhibit commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech in Dayton in 1964, just two weeks before he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Led and curated by Baba Bing Davis, the project is a collaboration between Black Palette Art Gallery, EbonNia Gallery, and the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. The exhibition includes 29 works from 13 African American artists displayed at both galleries.”
“Black Palette and EbonNia will both be open Tuesday through Saturday from 11a – 5p until the show ends on February 2. The only days we’ll be closed during that period are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and New Years Eve and New Years Day. We’re having a reception on Friday, December 13 from 5 – 7p, and we invite everyone to come see this important work and meet the talented artists who created it.”