“It’s just kind of a perfect storm right now. A lot of things going on. A lot of things beyond our control,” said Assistant City Manager Jay Weiskircher. “Where we do have vacancies hopefully those will be filled with tenants.”
Kettering Health Network announced Wednesday the purchase of the three-story building at 2600 Far Hills Ave., which housed Dominique’s.
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Kettering Health Network plans to locate physician practices and outpatient services in the building. KHN President Roy Chew said the interior and exterior of the building would change “pretty dramatically” as they work with current tenants as they transition into the building.
“We have to work with the tenants who are currently in that building, said Chew. “We would imagine a complete redo of that building—top to bottom, inside and out.”
City officials hoped the new owners would move a restaurant into the space Dominique’s occupied for 12 years before closing in 2015. Chew said there are no plans to retain the restaurant space on the first floor.
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While the office building on Far Hills has a new owner, there are several businesses in Oakwood that are packing up and relocating, or packing it up entirely.
Carolyn Meyer, owner of the iconic Oakwood toy store Blue Turtle Toys located at 2314 Far Hills Ave., announced she will close the store in May and retire when her lease is up, unless she can find a new owner.
“We’ve had a number of people contact us about buying the store,” said Meyer.
RELATED: Iconic Oakwood toy store set to close permanently
Park Avenue Antiques, at 2414 Far Hills Ave. is relocating just outside Oakwood city limits to Patterson Road in Dayton, according to Mayor William Duncan. Graeter's Ice Cream is considering relocating or closing it's shop at 2412 Far Hills Ave.
“We have not made a final decision on our presence in Oakwood,” Graeter’s spokeswoman Sarah Walters said in an email on Feb. 6.
With shops and businesses closing, that’s not to say Oakwood isn’t seeing businesses occupy former vacancies. Along with the purchase of 2600 Far Hills Ave, the building that housed Complete Petmart, 2322 Far Hills Ave. has several potential tenants interested in the space, according to Duncan.
Duncan also said a salon will be moving into the site of Wm. Rife Co. Jewelers, which closed its business in 2015, and RE/MAX Realtors office is now the tenant in the building that once housed First Financial bank.
RELATED: Oakwood jeweler to close after 78 years
The city council has expressed strong support for businesses in the downtown, although with state funding cuts, the city doesn’t have the money to offer financial incentives, Duncan said. But he said in years past the city was able to invest in free public parking and replaced all the trees along the boulevard in the downtown to improve the ambiance of the downtown.
He said the downtown is a “walking community” with lots of support from residents. The businesses work together on things like advertising. And a summer farmer’s markets draws people downtown as well, said Duncan.
“We believe it’s still a very strong and vibrant retail space,” said Duncan. “We think the demographics look good for retail. I don’t think it is a long term negative trend.”
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