From left to right, Nick Davis and Jason Duff of Small Nation listen to Jason Stritenberger talk about his supply store and the up-and-coming sport of disc golf.
Gail Allen | R-H photos
From left to right, Jason Duff, founder of Small Nation, talks to the tour group about his mission of touring the downtown area to give suggestions on improvements, to Jim Blair, Bob Rea, Joe Denen, Kennedy Kelly, Branson Moody, Tony Sanor, and Chelsie Baker.
From left to right, Branson Moody showed his recording studio to Jason Duff, Nick Davis and Chelsie Baker, and the rest of the tour group, to showcase his production and sound recording area.
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — The City of Washington Court House is a place for visions and dreams for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and Small Nation helps market those dreams. Small Nation is a business development company that works to revitalize areas with vacant spaces and small visions.
Small Nation founder Jason Duff and Nick Davis, business development associate, visited the city on Friday for a tour of working and vacant spaces in the downtown area. They believe small is not small at all. It’s thinking big and dreaming that makes things work.
Duff believes “there are nooks and crannies between all urban areas connected by highways and a sense of hope and possibility, where you find the small towns with life and charm.”
The tour started at Vinyl Coffee on Main Street and viewed the open spaces of the former Kitty Cafe, viewed the second floor of that building, and visited Main Street Creamery and Capuana’s Deli. Duff and Davis were getting the feel of where food, sweet treats and coffee meet on Main Street to offer citizens a place to meet and socialize.
The group walked down to visit Flor & Co flower shop and viewed the outside of the two vacant buildings on the South Main Street block. Duff provided suggestions on how to spruce up the area to draw more small businesses to the downtown site.
The group began with economic director Chelsie Baker, city manager Joe Denen, Kennedy Kelly from Main Street Creamery, city councilman Jim Blair, Vinyl Coffee owner Branson Moody, realtor Bob Rea, Fayette County Chamber of Commerce President Kristy Bowers, Tony Sanor from the Fayette County OSU Extension office, and joining in the group later were assistant fire chief Jody Langley and Kyler Kelly from Capuana’s, to show Duff and Davis around the downtown area.
The crew stopped in to visit Death Putt Disc Supply and Jason Stritenberger talked about his disc golf sport and supplies store. He said disc golf is an up-and-coming sport and he also has visitors from out of town who come to his store.
Moody took the group to his recording studio on the fourth floor above Trends on Court Street and showed off his space for his recording and music production. He deals with musical talents from all over to showcase his musical abilities to produce entertainment specials.
The studio is called Midtown Studio and features three pianos, guitars, drums and other instruments used in recordings. Duff said he was so impressed by this musical dream of Moody’s, he called it “the little Nashville of Ohio.” Moody and his friend, Jonathan Lipscombe, run the studio and have a vision for bigger and better things to come.
The tour group then visited the new brewery space in the Marshall building, formerly owned by David Ogan at 153 S. Main St. The brewery may open by February of 2025 with freshly brewed beer, serving tap beer and sandwiches at their new location.
The group went on to visit other downtown locations after the brewery stop where lunch was provided by Capuana’s at the large picnic tables inside the new brewery space.
The city will await the formal revitalization suggestions and plans that will be forthcoming from Small Nation to help the city’s vision to improve the downtown area for tourists and visitors, as well as invite more locals to shop and eat downtown.
