PIQUA — There was a significant amount of construction in downtown Piqua in 2022, and as a result, several high-visibility locations have been significantly transformed, said Executive Director Lorna Swisher.

The former Piqua Granite location, at 123 N. Main St., was revamped into the Crooked Handle Brewing Company. The brewery has been in operation for several months but the tap room opened to the public in mid-December. Presently Crooked Handle is open Thursday through Sunday but they plan to add additional hours as their staffing scales up. Crooked Handle is the second location for the Springboro-based business.

Just across the street from Crooked Handle is the new corporate office for Winans Chocolates and Coffees. The Main Street location, in addition to housing administrative functions of the Winans operation, is also used for basket assembly and storage. Previously the space had been Francis Office Supply’s retail location. The former Vern’s Auto, located across from Winans flagship store on Spring Street, also received significant investment from Winans and serves as the roastery for the burgeoning coffee side of the business. The parking lot in front of the building will soon be getting a major face-lift too. Winans has over 20 retail locations and the candy for all those operations is made in Piqua.

The former Z’s building, located on Wayne Street, has been transformed into The Gallery Venue & Event Center and the Piqua Arts and Innovation Center. The building went from a vacant, completely underutilized structure, to a thriving event venue and large co-working space. The building owners are still working on finding the perfect tenant for the first-floor retail spaces.

The southern entrance to the downtown business district was significantly enhanced with the complete restoration of Lucky’s Pad. Several rounds of rehabilitation by Midwest Maintenance has transformed the building.

Downtown Piqua’s diverse retail offerings were enhanced with the addition of two new retail stores in 2022 and another one will open in the spring of 2023. JBoutique, located on Water Street opposite Town and Country Furniture, opened in February and is a second location for a Minster-based business. JBoutique offers women’s clothing and accessories and gift items all priced at less than $50. In late 2022 Bushel & a Peck opened up a retail space on Ash Street. Bushel & a Peck has a huge following from participating in shows throughout the region and their downtown Piqua location, in addition to being a beautiful retail space, will also serve as their production facility. Other new businesses in downtown Piqua included Stumpy’s Tattoo Studio and Uninhibited.

In the spring of 2023, The Birch Tree will open at 319 N. Main St. in downtown Piqua. The new business will feature antiques and new furniture and home accessories. The space was previously occupied by The Second Story Gallery but with the owners’ retirement in the summer of 2022 the space was quickly snapped up for the new retail location.

In the fall of 2022, Mainstreet Piqua launched an interactive downtown map on the Mainstreet Piqua website at www.mainstreetpiqua.com The map separates all the businesses in downtown Piqua in eight different categories including eat & drink, shops & retail, personal services, professional services, weddings & parties, community resources and non-profits, finances & banking and other. Visitors to the site will find full contact information for each business and links to social media and websites.

Mainstreet Piqua enjoyed a very successful year in terms of community events and the Piqua Community Farmers Market. A full listing of all the 2023 events is currently available on the Mainstreet Piqua website and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mainstreetpiqua For additional information about Mainstreet Piqua, feel free to call the office at 937-773-9355 or stop by 326 N. Main St. in downtown Piqua.