JUST IN: Dayton coffee shop seeks liquor license, in part for pavilion

A downtown Dayton coffee shop and wine bar is seeking the state license to be able to serve cocktails, in part to take full advantage of the expected increase in activity tied to next year’s opening of Levitt Pavilion, its owner said this morning.

3rd Perk Coffehouse & Wine Bar at 45 W. Fifth St. applied to the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control last week for the license that would allow the business to serve liquor. The application is pending.

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“I understood from the beginning that the full license would be much more beneficial,” 3rd Perk founder and owner Juanita Darden-Jones told this news outlet this morning, Aug. 18. “I lost opportunities to host holiday parties my first year because of the limitations of my (wine-only) license. Although I will not have a full license I will have the capacity to offer so much more than just wines.”

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“I am also preparing for next year’s arrival of the Levitt Pavilion. I really look for that to boost business on our corner,” Darden-Jones said.

3rd Perk has been open for two years at the corner of West Fifth and South Ludlow streets, in space that previously housed The Ohio Coffee Co. and Seattle East coffee shops. It serves coffee, tea and wines, along with a food menu of sandwiches, soups and salads. Hours are Monday through Wednesday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sunday.

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The Levitt Pavilion Dayton reached its $5 million fund-raising goal earlier this month, and the state-of-the-art music amphitheater should be completed mid-2018 in the heart of downtown, in Dave Hall Plaza a couple of blocks from 3rd Perk. The pavilion will put on 50 free shows each year, featuring local, national and international musical acts.

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