How does a city gain momentum?  

How does a downtown start to attract a new era of residents and visitors? 

Well, good coffee and good food are great places to start.  

In the case of Dayton’s “Midtown” area, just south of downtown, and north of Miami Valley Hospital, local real estate should be in much higher demand in the very near future – if it’s not already.  

The area is benefiting from not just a fantastic coffee shop, but two other locally owned businesses that would be huge draws on their own, let alone as part of this magical trio of neighboring businesses.

At 800 S. Patterson, patrons can find Old Scratch Pizza and Ghostlight Coffee sharing one beautifully renovated building. Photo obtained from Yelp.com.

Old Scratch Pizza opened to rave reviews in 2017, and likely was the catalyst that drew fantastic neighbors in Rinse, a chic cycling studio, and Ghostlight, one of Dayton’s favorite coffee shops.

It’s the first location for Rinse, opened by Oakwood resident Kari Carpenter, who launched her dream of opening a cycling studio in her very own garage before eventually opening the doors in her current space at 760 S. Patterson in June of 2018.  The building was once a gas station, and has been transformed to it’s current eye-catching state (below).  Travelers visiting Dayton will be impressed with the building which has architecture and styling that grab your eye and would make it seem right at home in a town like Nashville or Austin.

A transformation worthy of HGTV created what is now Rinse’s first location. (Header photo obtained from Rinse Cycle Facebook page.)

For Ghostlight, this is founder Shane Anderson’s second location and first time taking his concept away from the beloved South Park neighborhood.  This new location has a clean yet stunning aesthetic, without losing some of the eclectic styling that makes Ghostlight unique.  The coffee, assortment of lattes, and the expanded food menu have been welcome with rave reviews.  

In what feels like a proud older sibling role, Old Scratch sits as the southern most building of the trio (800 S. Patterson), and is still collecting more and more fans for mouth-watering, Neopolitan style pizzas, fresh salads and a slew of local brews.  Founder Eric Soller had a vision for casual elegance, and man have he and his wife Stephanie nailed it.

For those fortunate enough to live nearby, I can’t imagine how much you are loving the Saturday routine.  Read a paper, or get some laptop time while sipping a coffee, hop over for a massively fun and intense cycling class, and finish the night with some friends at Old Scratch.  All within walking distance.  

Now, that’s a full day. 

That’s the kind of day Daytonians could only experience in towns like Columbus or Cincinnati, until recently.   

Those of us that don’t live nearby, we love the fact that parking is free and super simple with a shared lot between the three businesses.  

Dayton’s new trifecta is proof that the Dayton renaissance is real, and it’s happening right before our eyes.  This “new Dayton” is a great place to be, and a great place to call home.  

Eric, Shane, and Kari, thank you for taking the leap of faith, and for having the courage to chase your dream right here in Dayton, Ohio.