Dayton, Ohio – Sandy Van Fleet has always loved downtown Dayton and says she sees “so much potential for growth and vitality” in its future.
But the owner of Agnes & Orson Gifts & Goods said the coronavirus pandemic and resulting quarantines hit her business, at 514 E. Third St. in The Cannery, hard.
“So many folks were now working from home, and the businesses that were able to open just didn’t support my business enough to continue in that space,” Van Fleet said.
An opportunity to relocate to The Greene Town Center in Beavercreek came along a few months ago, “and I couldn’t pass it up,” Van Fleet said.
The shop’s last day in downtown Dayton was Aug. 22, and the new Agnes & Orson store opened at 79 Plum St. on Sept. 2. The space — next to Cheryl’s Cookies and across the street from Pasha Grill — previously housed a Yankee Candle shop.
“It’s been a wonderful move,” Van Fleet told this news outlet Thursday. She said she has been “meeting a lot of new people and still seeing those faces — masked faces — that had been a part of the downtown location. The other tenants at The Greene have been very welcoming as well. We just seemed to fit right in very comfortably.”
The new space is slightly larger than her store at the Cannery, Van Fleet said.
“We still carry fan favorites like Sydney Hale and Frazier Fir candles, as well as Jellycat, sassy mugs and cards, and Dayton-centric items,” the Agnes & Orson owner said. “We’ve added some great new lines.” Local artists are still featured, the store owner said.
“We look forward to more people in the surrounding area discovering who we are and can’t wait for holiday shopping season at The Greene,” Van Fleet said. “We’re always showcasing new and popular items on our social media pages, and we have an online store where we’ll continue to add new products for anyone who isn’t quite ready to shop in person yet.”
Agnes & Orson was founded in 2015 at 1132 Brown St. by three co-owners of Square One Salon and Spa. The original owners moved the store to its East Third Street location at The Cannery in 2017.
Van Fleet started working at the store in December 2017, and just two months later, she purchased the store, promising in mid-2018 to “keep the sass” at a store that offered jewelry, artwork, whimsical T-shirts, glasses and mugs, many produced locally.
Now, more than two years after buying the store, “I feel like we are a secret bursting to blab about ourselves,” Van Fleet said.
Agnes & Orson sold wine at its downtown Dayton location and has filed paperwork with the state to transfer the license to the new store, but has not obtained final approval from state officials yet, Van Fleet said.
For more information, check out the Agnes & Orson Gifts and Goods Facebook page at or call 937-640-1500.
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