“We have everything from jewelry to furniture, a lot of local crafted items,” Lykins said. “(We’ve also got) local-source honey, candles, gifts, clothing, just everything. We’ve got it all.”
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
The business originally opened in an 800-square-foot Waynesville storefront in 2022. The new Milk + Honey location is 4,000 square feet and allows for a better presentation of its products, Lykins said.
“It’s nice to be able to set up (across dining tables) so you can see what it would look like set up in your home and it’s decorated, so you have an idea for different seasons,” she said.
Milk + Honey plans to serve drinks from a bar on the first floor to participate in the city’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA. It also plans to offer BOBA tea and aims to use the former vault space seasonally for events like photographs with Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.
The shop also plans to use its extra space to offer homesteading classes, which will include the opportunity for customers to create their own butter, laundry detergent, artwork, sourdough and other creative endeavors.
“It’s something we’ve done before, but it’s such a larger scale now we can actually offer and just have enough room for everybody to come in,” Lykins said.
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
The building in which the shop is housed has a lot of history. It started out in 1928 as The Mutual Building & Loan Company, eventually becoming Blue Note Bistro & Lounge, Dreamy Cafe and, most recently, The Vault Event Center.
Lykins said one of the reasons Milk + Honey opted to open in Miamisburg is because Bennett grew up there. “It has a sentimental vibe for us,” she said. “We still have family here.”
Miamisburg “has a downtown feel,” but is still growing and evolving, Lykins said.
“There’s some antiques towns that you’ll walk through and they don’t really have newer businesses, or if they do, they don’t last, unfortunately, because as times change, they’re not evolving, but that’s the good thing about Miamisburg,” she said. “There’s kids walking around, there’s also adults walking around, there’s families walking around and you feel safe there.
“It’s a bigger city, I guess, compared to Waynesville, but it still has that downhome feel.”
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