The St. Clair Lofts apartment building in downtown Dayton.
Photo: Peter Wine
These 2 new downtown businesses have made the St. Clair Lofts fully leased in retail for the first time ever
Cornelius Frolik, Staff Writer
All of the ground floor retail space in the St. Clair Lofts is fully leased for the first time since the building was converted into housing and commercial space in 2001.
The St. Clair Lofts, 35 S. St. Clair St., recently welcomed a new tattoo shop. Next month, a new women's boutique expects to open that offers "fair trade, sustainable and cruelty-free" products.
"This is the first time ever that the spaces are all leased," said Kim Larkins, property manager of St. Clair Lofts. "Dayton's booming — everybody wants to be here."
MORE: Filling up: Retail returns to downtown Dayton
Last year, the St. Clair Lofts confirmed that it was building out its last two remaining first-floor spaces.
The five-story building, formerly the Beaver Power building at South St. Clair and East Fourth streets, reopened in 2001 as 108 apartments and ground-floor commercial spaces.
The St. Clair retail tenants are a diverse bunch and include:
• Twist Cupcakery
• Linwood Men's Specialty Shoppe
• Baker Salvage Co., Puff Apothecary
• Salon J Ladner, Soccer Shots
• Gem City Key Shop
• Anthony James Painting and Contracting.
The lofts building had two commercial spaces that were never finished. But the owners last year decided to "white box" the spaces to prepare for move in because of strong interest from potential tenants.
Those two spaces are taken. White Anvil Tattoo recently moved in to a storefront on the Fourth Street side of the building.
Grace Lane Boutique has signed a lease and expects to open in November.
MORE: New small retailers open, bring culture shift to downtown Dayton
Danielle Goodman is the owner of Grace Lane Boutique, a new shop opening in a storefront of the St. Clair Lofts. Grace Lane will sell "ethical fashion." CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF
Grace Lane will sell women's jewelry, clothing, shoes, accessories, crafted goods and other items from "sustainable" and "ethical brands," said Danielle Goodman, the owner of the boutique.
Goodman will sell FEED purses and bags and Toms footwear.
Every FEED item comes imprinted with a number that represents how many meals or nutrient packets the company will provide to hungry children because of the purchase.
Toms says it matches every pair of shoes purchased with a new pair of shoes for a child in need.
Goodman became motivated to be a more conscientious shopper after learning about a factory collapse in Bangladesh that killed more than 1,000 people, including many garment workers.
"I just want to know where my clothes were made and I want to know I'm not buying something that supports unfair wages or unfair worker treatment," she said.
But Goodman found that it took a lot of time and effort to research products to make sure they weren't made by workers in unsafe or unfair conditions. She said she usually had to visit a variety of sites to find what she wanted.
Goodman hopes Grace Lane will be a one-stop-shop for ethical fashion. Grace Lane's goal is:"empowering women through fashion."
"I want women to feel great about how their clothes are made as well as how they look," said Goodman, who also noted that her faith is a big part of why she launched Grace Lane.