'Our role is community': Roebling Point Books & Coffee is coming to Dayton

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the correct date for National Independent Bookstore Day, April 29.

Caffeine enthusiasts and bookworms alike will soon have a new reason to visit Dayton, Kentucky.

Roebling Point Books & Coffee is bringing its third location to the riverside city of over 5,600 residents, according to Richard Hunt, the business' founder.

Hunt said he's aiming to open the new store sometime before National Independent Bookstore Day on April 29.

The new location is at Sixth Avenue and Vine Street in a two-and-a-half story, brick building that used to be a corner grocery. Hunt had his eyes on the space since before the pandemic, he said, adding the stop-and-go nature of the last three years has posed some challenges.

It's not at all a stretch for the third store to open in Dayton, as Roebling Books & Coffee operates its two current locations in Northern Kentucky river cities. The original location is in Covington near the John A. Roebling Bridge and the second is in Newport.

"It's got a history that's not wildly different than Covington and Newport," Hunt said of Dayton, adding that encouragement from city leaders and prospects of a growing housing market there have also been a draw.

Within the last three years, two high-end residential developments, the Gateway Flats at Manhattan Harbour and Manhattan on the River, have opened in Dayton.

Hunt said the new store will feature a café area in the front, with book space and a children's area in the back. He said there are also plans to add outdoor seating along Vine Street and retrofit the building's garage for use as a commercial kitchen.

The hope is for Roebling Books & Coffee to collaborate with as many as three community partners to utilize the cooking space as an incubator kitchen, Hunt said.

"We want to bring the community into the kitchen as much as we do the store," Hunt said.

Lil's Kitchen, formerly Lil's Bagels, will debut at Roebling Books & Coffee's Dayton store, Hunt said, adding the two businesses essentially merged after the original Lil's Bagels location closed in December, citing a dispute with its former landlord over the price of rent.

Lil's Kitchen will at some point offer menu options at the Covington and Newport stores as well, Hunt said.

Eventually, each location will have an area dedicated to Gloria San Miguel, a Roebling Books & Coffee employee killed in a hit-and-run crash while cycling in Newport, which will include benches, artwork, bike stations and air pumps for cyclists to inflate their tires, according to Hunt.

The business has been awarded a beautification grant from the city of Covington, so the Roebling Books & Coffee there will be the first to feature a "Go with Glo Corner," Hunt said.

"This place will act as the epicenter of our overall Go with Glo Movement which seeks to make the Covington community aware of bike and pedestrian safety through creating business allies, providing bike/pedestrian resources, holding community bike/pedestrian events, and by driving the conversation for all future city design geared towards active transportation," the grant application reads.

Hunt said he wants Roebling Books & Coffee to be a unique, relaxing space and an essential part of the community. He also hopes the new store will help revitalize the neighborhood and bring more people to Dayton.

"We've realized our role is community," Hunt said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Roebling Point Books & Coffee opening third location in Dayton