Downtown Oberlin has seen major changes in recent months; The Arb at Tappan Square and Ginko Gallery have closed; The Oberlin White Squirrel, Wood Fired Wonders, and Taco Flavored Kisses have opened; and For Ewe has changed location.
The Oberlin White Squirrel, an artsy gift shop located at 133 S. Main St, had its grand opening in August. Owners Marce and Robert Allen started this shop as an outlet to spread art and creativity around Oberlin.
“We’re both retired and we like to do arts and crafts, and my husband does photography,” Marce Allen said. “So now that we are both retired, we figured we could open up a shop and open it up to other vendors who also like to do the same.”
The White Squirrel showcases a blend of earrings, frames, hand creams, candles, and other products which are directly sourced from local vendors. They are also open to displaying and selling student artworks in their store.
“We had a good grand opening, but then it just kind of slowed down,” Marce Allen said. “But now students are starting to know that we’re here, so we’re getting some students in.”
She is planning “Paint with Bob Ross Nights” while Robert is coming up with photography classes to engage students as well as the town. The two of them are also excited about the upcoming “Halloween Collection” which will be put up at the shop Friday.
Wood Fired Wonders, specializing in steak and seafood, is just around the corner, located at 27 W. College St. It was opened by co-owners Mario Johnson and Derek Tyree. It also caters toward vegetarians and vegans, with its menu including energy bowls and vegan steak, and serves real New York bagels brought in by Noshman’s Bagels from Brooklyn, New York City. The restaurant is closed Sundays but is open to private events on that day.
The only challenge Tyree and Johnson are facing is waiting on the final approval for their liquor license.
“We definitely want to thank everybody for their support,” they said. “I hope the anticipation for Wood Fired Wonders has exceeded everybody’s expectations. I’m just thankful for the town, for everything, for believing in our dream and keeping it alive.”
Taco Flavored Kisses took over the space that The Arb used to occupy, and had their soft opening Aug. 20. They serve Mexican cuisine that is allergen-friendly. Vegan options are also offered.
“I just wanted to show people that there’s a little bit more to Mexican cuisine than just sour cream and shredded cheese,” owner Janet Overstreet said.
Overstreet and her brother started off working at Taco Tuesdays at The Feve, later expanding to The Feve’s Manic Monday markets. Bolstered by community support through social media and a GoFundMe, they opened Taco Flavored Kisses soon after.
Taco Flavored Kisses prides itself on its strong sense of community. The wooden sign outside was designed by a local artist, Edge Furnishings. Having grown up in Oberlin, Overstreet wants to bring more business to the community and offer a greater variety of food options.
“It’s a family-run business,” Overstreet said. “My dad is in the kitchen. My husband’s here, my brother’s in the front. My mom comes and helps with the salsa… We clean with Fabuloso so it makes it seem like you’re in someone’s home. We want everybody that comes in the doors to feel like they’re part of the family.”
For Ewe: An Inclusive Fiber Community, a yarn and fiber arts store, moved from 181 W. College Street to 29 W. College St., by the Oberlin Bookstore. The old location closed on June 30 and the new one opened July 12. The store sells a variety of yarn and knitting merchandise, and features products made by women, people of color, people in the LGBTQIA+ community, and neurodiverse people.
“I moved from my very small space … to a much larger space at 29 West College,” owner Lisa Whitfield said. “It’s great to be part of the downtown community, which is very welcoming…. It’s also great to be right at ground level, so I’m so much more accessible to people and the incoming students see me immediately, as opposed to before [when] they had to sort of find me…. I think my business is going to really pick up.”
The store hosts weekly craft nights on Wednesdays from 5–7 p.m. for members of the community and the College. For those interested in knitting, there are beginner classes and private lessons available. Whitfield also hosts a Friday morning Instagram Live before opening the store where she discusses politics, business, and policies.
Sharon Pearson, interim executive director of the Oberlin Business Partnership, is working to provide all small businesses resources and spaces in the town. She has connected The White Squirrel to the Small Business Development Center in Lorain County, which gives free assistance to small businesses.
“Our business … is to come in here and really help businesses with knowing what resources … we have and putting that information out there,” Pearson said. “I myself have two businesses. And so that really helps me with understanding what some of the businesses may need.”
Jessa New, OC ’01, City Councilmember and owner of Slow Train Cafe and The Local, voiced concerns about turnover in the town.
“A lot of us are concerned … especially with the businesses that have been here forever, once those spaces turn over, are we gonna lose these vital pieces to our community,” she said. “It’s nice to have that anxiety balanced with the hope and optimism of seeing new businesses open.”
New discussed how the Oberlin Community Improvement Corporation, of which she is a member, is working to remove obstacles for new businesses. She is a member of the economic vitality section of the OCIC, focussing on the Downtown Report. New and Pearson from the OBP are part of OCIC and work on pooling resources for business owners and stakeholders.
“Right now, we don’t have an economic development coordinator at the City,” New said. “All signs sort of point to the need for either a position … as the economic development coordinator, or at least for more resources to be filtered down into that idea because there just aren’t enough support systems for business owners in the City.”
