XENIA BOOST
Planned restaurant may spark downtown growth
Plans are underway to bring a new restaurant to downtown Xenia where a former favorite eatery was located.
Downtown property owner Greg Bernitt has confirmed that work is happening at his building on South Detroit Street, where the Blue Jacket Bookstore is located and which formerly was the site for Table of Contents. The work is being done to accommodate the new restaurant tenant.
“An architect is working with the county building department,
and paperwork is being processed at the health department,” Bernitt said. “I am meeting with the city to discuss outside seating.”
The owners of the unnamed restaurant are not quite ready to discuss the move publicly, but it will be a new location for an existing restaurant in the area, Bernitt said.
Jennifer Dunn, who co-owns the Eavey Building and is working to revitalize the downtown area, said word of the new restaurant is “the leap we need to make next” to bring people downtown in the evening.
“The cool thing about Xenia, the residents are here. Single-family housing is available, now we need the apartments to follow over the retail establishments,” Dunn said. “People are calling me all the time asking about units to rent downtown.”
Bernitt also owns the former JC Penney building on East Main Street. His Courthouse Coffee shop now is providing lunches with help from Cassandra Lee and Chef James Luckett, the creators and makers of the unique meals that were served daily at Table of Contents.
Lee said they are making grilled sandwiches, salads and soon soups with which her former customers are familiar. Lee and Luckett make fresh breads, and those will soon be for sale at Courthouse Coffee.
Lee said the move to close Table of Contents was sad, but she’s happy to keep making fresh meals and is excited about the new restaurant moving into her former space.
“We want to have places for people to go, and we want to work cooperatively with the businesses that are here,” Lee said. “We don’t want just one place where people can eat. We want to build a little community here. It’s not just about us. It’s about the whole downtown area.”