Dillin is investing about $3 million into the “Cornerstone” project, which consists of renovating a couple of side-by-side vacant buildings on the 1100 block of West Third Street, less than 100 yards west of W. Social.
One building is going to become XO Burger (Vibez + Cocktails), which will be a restaurant with an outdoor patio and a speakeasy in the basement.
A business called Haymarket Deli and Sweets is going to move into an adjacent space, and next to that will be Saoko Tea and Wine Bar, according to Cheryl Dillin, chief brand officer with Dillin.
Cheryl Dillin recently revealed the names of the new businesses to this news organization but she said more details won’t be released until later.
The Cornerstone project also includes the conversion of an empty building on that block into the Wright Dunbar Cigar Shoppe & Lounge.
The shop will sell premium cigars and will have a members lounge upstairs, said Jeff Jackson, who co-owns the business, along with Dallas Webster.
In addition to Dillin’s roughly $3 million investment into Cornerstone, the tenants are investing about $500,000 into the spaces, Cheryl Dillin said. Cornerstone has about 15,000 square feet of space.
Dillin wants to turn that entire block into a destination offering a collection of restaurants and entertainment, she said.
Dillin is the managing member and developer of Cornerstone and W. Social Tap & Table, which became the city’s first new food hall in decades when it opened in the summer of 2022.
Dillin invested more than $3 million into W. Social, which is located at 1100 W. Third St.
The city of Dayton recently agreed to give the Cornerstone project $350,000 out of the West Dayton Development Trust Fund. The funding will help pay for building and mechanical system improvements.
Cornerstone should increase the growing vibrancy of the Wright Dunbar business district while helping draw people who do not often visit the greater downtown area or west Dayton, says a memo from Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein.
Joe Parlette, Dayton’s deputy city manager, said the project is in line with the city’s goal to have an active, walkable and vibrant streetscape along that strategic corridor.
Simms Development is working to build 26 townhomes on the former Gem City Ice Cream property just down the street and said a model unit could open by late fall or early winter.
Wright Dunbar has had many new businesses move in over the last nine years, and it now has more foot traffic than ever before, said Erica Hubler, Wright Dunbar Inc.’s director of real estate.
“National Park visitors now have a reason to stay in Wright Dunbar,” she said. “Before, they got off the bus, toured the museum and left.”
Wright Dunbar is home to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, which tells the history of the Wright brothers, poet Paul Laurence Dunbar and other important figures.
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