Earl Hatmaker and Megan Lees, both Centerville High School graduates, had planned to open a space like Felicity later in life, but when the building became available in August they didn’t want to pass it up.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
What will be offered
The 1,800-square-foot space will house a bar and retail shop featuring items like wine and beer to go, bags of coffee and tea and locally made goods on the first floor. The second floor will have seating. In the future, they hope to have a patio, the couple said.
Lees described the space as having a slow-paced, coffee-shop vibe during the day and a more intimate setting in the evening.
Guests can expect natural wines that are organically grown and sustainably produced. Coffee will come from Boston Stoker. They have plans to partner with one farm at a time and share the story behind each season of coffee, Hatmaker said. The tea will come from Rishi Tea and other local teamakers. To compliment the drinks, they plan to offer pastries, light food and snacks.
Being intentional
“There’s a lot of different people, businesses and growers that we are already connected with and we’re hoping to carry more (of their) products here,” Lees said.
Everything they are offering is intentional and high quality. The couple said it’s important to them to know where they are sourcing their products, as well as supporting their fellow local entrepreneurs.
“There’s a certain energy that goes into stuff that is ethically made and intentionally made,” Lees said. “We can taste it and feel it and I feel like our customers say it’s just different.”
Sharing their lifestyle through entrepreneurship
The idea behind Felicity came from the couple’s love of having an experience when they are traveling. They said they wanted to give the people in their community a new experience that they find interesting and unique.
Lees, 37, and Hatmaker, 38, have been successful in launching new ventures throughout the area over the past several years.
Their entrepreneurial journey started by operating a mobile juice bar in 2013 before opening Power Plant Juice Bar at 430 Miamisburg-Centerville Road (Ohio 725) next to Old Scratch Pizza in Washington Twp. in 2019. The couple said they had been living in Austin, Texas before they moved back home and realized there were no juice bars in the area.
“It’s bringing our lifestyle into our businesses,” Hatmaker said. “We are in this community and we want people in our community to know that we are behind our product, whatever it is.”
They couple had also owned Method Yoga in Springboro and Your Adventure Golf in Washington Twp.
The building has history
Since August, the couple has been completing major renovations in their new space like preserving the original wood floors.
The two-story brick building was once the home and business location of Nathan W. Lincoln, a relative of Abraham Lincoln, the couple said. He had been a carriage and wagon maker and later built coffins in a shop at the rear of the lot.
The couple plans to keep some of the traditional 1800s feel in the space.
Felicity is joining several new restaurants in Uptown Centerville including Agave & Rye, The Brunch Pub, Manna and Meridien.
Lees and Hatmaker said they are looking forward to being a part of the regrowth of Centerville and don’t see Felicity as their last venture.
