Downtown, Oregon District businesses want you to know they are OPEN

Port D'Vino, their Inn at 22 Brown St.

The Gonyas, the owners of Deaf Monty's Wine located in a shared space with their inn, spend most of their time eating around the Oregon District — hitting Trolley Stop, Blind Bob’s and Oregon Express and Franco’s hard.

“Monday’s Carmel's (Bar and Grill) night,” Leslie said. “The one night we leave the district.”

All of Dayton was rocked multiple times in 2019, and the Oregon District was one of the areas hit hardest.
After the Memorial Day tornadoes destroyed or damaged more than 2,000 structures in Montgomery County alone, several Oregon District business owners and staff members - some of whom are tornado survivors themselves - organized cleanup crews, collected donations and raised tens of thousands of dollars.

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Mere months later, the neighborhood was traumatized when a 24-year-old with a pistol modified to act like an assault rifle murdered nine and caused at least 40 others to be injured.

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As coronavirus cases climbed in the state, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has ordered K-12 schools to shut down for three weeks starting March 16, prohibited mass gatherings of more than 100, and banned visitors at nursing homes and state psychiatric hospitals.

The governor recently ordered the closure of bars, restaurants, gyms, rec centers, movie theaters and some other types of businesses.

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The Gonyas are making adjustments for their business and lives.

“Is it very depressing to be in the neighborhood and walk by our neighbor businesses that either can only do carryout or aren’t open altogether,” Leslie said. “Many people recognize us as a place to come together, to gather, to chat, to share happy, to share sad, and it's with a glass of wine or a beer in their hand on site, and they can't do that.”

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The Downtown Dayton Partnership, a nonprofit that provides services to business in the special improvement district that includes downtown and the Oregon District, has created a list of downtown businesses that remain open as part of its OPEN campaign.

"Our small businesses have worked through tough times in the past year, and they're once again showing their resilience to adapt and creatively be available to customers," Sandy Gudorf, Downtown Dayton Partnership's president, said in a statement.

Those offering carryout, delivery, curbside pickup, or online shopping are listed at downtowndayton.org/open.

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The organization will distribute graphics downtown local businesses to display in store windows and on social media pages to indicate they are OPEN.

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Guy Fragmin, the owner of 416 Diner, 416 E. Fifth St., is serving food from his patio walk-up window.

Business was slow even for a Tuesday, when this news organization spoke with him. The restaurant works with DoorDash, Uber Eats and GrubHub delivery services.

Fragmin was optimistic.

Right now, everybody’s in shock,” he said. “I'm really looking forward to the new normal that we have for the next month or two, and that people start realizing that local businesses are here, local businesses need you. I really hope that we can make it through this together.”

The Downtown Dayton Partnership encourages patrons to check the websites and social media pages of fitness centers, beauty salons, tattoo parlors, and other specialized services to find out how they are proceeding.

Some are offering virtual classes, appointment-only options, according to the Downtown Dayton Partnership.

Deaf Monty’s itself is a neighborhood hangout where residents lounge around sampling favorite reds and white.

Fears and bans associated with the coronavirus have impacted the couple’s inn business during a period that would have typically helped to offset the winter slump. They can still sale wine as part of the retail business.

Leslie says the neighborhood has changed, but she is optimistic.

“This is a very social community that our social lifeline is our eating and drinking establishments,” Leslie added.