Karaman said the addition will be two stories and a basement on the south side of the business on land formerly occupied by Hanson Audio.
“We’re very excited about the addition,” he said. “It’s going to be a very beautiful expansion.”
Karaman said the addition will have the same architectural and “it’s going to look exactly the same” as current building.
“We’re expanding because we have a whole new section for Rolex and we have to have other space,” he said.
James Free touts itself as an official Rolex dealer, according to its website. It is the store’s largest brand, Karaman said.
The jewelry business employs 69 between its Kettering and suburban Cincinnati location in Montgomery, Karaman said. The expansion, scheduled to be finished next June, will add four jobs to the Far Hills site’s 33 workers, he said.
“It’s great news for James Free and for the community,” Karaman said.
The business has operated at the Far Hills site since 1988, he added. The expansion has been planned for a year, Karaman added.
James Free rents from Lasada, Inc., a real estate company Karaman operates, he said. Lasada bought the 0.72-acre corner lot at Rockhill Avenue from Hanson in 2022, according to Montgomery County land records.
Lasada paid $900,000 for the site, county records show, but Karaman declined to say how much James Free is investing in the expansion.
The Hanson building was demolished last year and cement was later poured for the basement and first floor. Steel is being installed for the frame as the project moves forward, Karaman said.
Lasada bought a lot next to James Free to the north in 2013. It acquired 100 Cushing Ave., about a 0.2-acre site, for $140,000, according to county land records.
Kettering in 2015 approved a zoning change for the Cushing land from residential to business to allow James Free to add more parking.
The jewelry store demolished the home on the property to make room for the parking, the Dayton Daily News reported at that time.
Lasada, Inc. recently received Kettering approval to combine its Far Hills lot with corner property on Cushing. The expansion started shortly thereafter, Karaman said.
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