Dayton Most Metro

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Audrey Ingram

The Cookieologist Whips Up Baked-To-Order Late-Night Eats

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Jonesing for a hot, fresh-baked cookie after hours? The Cookiologist has you covered.

Isiah Davis is the founder of Cookiologist, formerly known as The Cookie Joint, located at 1106 Brown Street in Dayton. Wednesday through Saturday, he’s baking your late-night eats, with pickup available as late as midnight on the weekend.

Isiah is a member of the current Retail Lab cohort, powered by Launch Dayton partner Downtown Dayton Partnership. We caught up with Isiah recently to talk about his company & his rebrand. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

Launch Dayton: So what do you offer at The Cookiologist?

Isiah: We bake cookies fresh to order, so they’re hot when you swing by our pick-up window to get them. We’re open Wednesday through Saturday, from 4:20p to 9p on Wednesday and Thursday, and from 4:20p to 12a on Friday and Saturday. Customers can order anytime, they just have to order at least 30 minutes ahead to give us time to bake the cookies fresh for you. We’re building a cookie empire one bag at a time.

We also do nut milks and blended alternative milks. It tastes nothing like what you’ll find at the grocery store. We came out with the milks to complement the cookies.

So where did this idea come from?

I was visiting Indianapolis when I experienced something like this for the first time, and I thought, why doesn’t Dayton have this? We’re able to provide a product for people after everything is kinda closed. There’s nothing local open at 12a on the weekend, but people still get hungry, they want late-night eats. If I can order fresh-baked cookies at 11p, I’m all about that. They’ll get there hot, and I don’t have to bake.

What are your big goals for The Cookiologist?

Eventually we want to expand outside Dayton, to other cities and states. We want to build a new culture — most commercial kitchens are toxic environments — people are trained, if a chef isn’t a jerk, he isn’t good. But you don’t have to mean to get results from people. We want to create jobs, and then have our folks expand out and franchise. Dayton will be the location where we produce everything. We’ll ship the doughs to the other locations, and they’ll bake them on the spot, but Dayton will always be the heart of it. And we want Dayton to be known for this. We’re more than just cornfields and chili. So much talent and creativity exists here, we’re making it happen, and we’ll have a “fresh, hot-baked cookies’ sign on all day.

Why cookies?

My favorite dessert has always been a cookie. It’s a more consistent product, it can be shipped, so it’s something I can make that can be distributed and still have a part of me in it. It’s not too delicate, or too big, or too small. But mostly, it’s the nostalgia. My mom made peanut butter cookies when I was a kid, it took 10 minutes, and they were there — it was easy. Cookies always made the most sense to me. And when I make a cookie, I always come back to tinker and see how I can make it better. There’s always room for growth.

You had a hiccup early in your entrepreneurial journey that you want to help others avoid. Can you share more about that?

Trademark your business name. I started my business in June 2020 as The Cookie Joint. I got my LLC, I filed with the Secretary of State. I knew I wanted to expand, and I wanted to trademark my name, but I thought it would be awhile. But when I started to look into it, my lawyer found a company in Chicago with the same name, and he told me that I couldn’t keep my name. It hurt. So don’t think it’s just about getting that LLC. It takes time to find the right name for your business, and you’re not the only one who has that great idea. Get your trademark, so you don’t have to go through a whole rebrand just as you’re building your name.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I think I did always know. Growing up, my grandfather was a bricklayer, had his own construction company, built houses. He was the first person I saw in my life with that work ethic. The Cookiologist isn’t my first business, I also had a food truck. When I went back to working in a restaurant, it didn’t feel right working for anyone else anymore. I didn’t make it two weeks. I thought, my kids are watching, they need to see this. Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, but it works for me.

So what cookies can we look forward to tasting from The Cookieologist?

Hippie Potion is our unity cookie. It has peanut butter, semisweet chocolate and white chocolate — it doesn’t matter what color you are, everyone can enjoy it. Wonder n’ McCartney is our ebony and ivory cookie. Notorious C.H.I.P. is our classic chocolate chip cookie. A lot of our cookies have stories and cultural inspiration behind them.

Why do you love what you do?

My mom always said food is love made edible. I say, in order to be great, you have to serve great. I’m excited to cook the food. If I provide a source of joy for even two minutes, that’s my legacy, that I provided those things for people.

Find The Cookiologist on Instagram @thecookieologistdyt or online at thecookieologistdyt.com to order. Also connect on Facebook @thecookieologist.

Grant To Fund Dayton startup’s Virtual Music Platform For 9 Youth Programs

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The C. J. Francis III Foundation has granted nine area organizations funds to deploy Dayton startup My Music Ed’s platform across their youth programs.

My Music Ed is an app designed by Deron Bell to help students and teachers build vital relationships by bringing music into the classroom.

Deron Bell

“You don’t have to be a musician or music teacher to be able to use it,” Deron explained. “It’s not about teaching them music, it’s talking about how to build relationships, how to express feelings. It builds on restorative practices — we take a positive approach to dealing with feelings. Sprinkle a little music in there, and that’s just fun.”

The app is built for use on mobile or desktop and includes features like an interactive drum set and piano — you click on a drum or key, and the app plays the note or sound and names the instrument the students hear. At the top of each page are social-emotional learning and relationship-building activities.

The grant covers the cost of a year-long license for the software, as well as training and support to deploy it through youth and after-school programs. The nine organizations who will benefit in 2021 include:

  • Boys & Girls Club of Dayton
  • Dakota Center
  • Dayton Children’s
  • Dayton Metro Library
  • Kroc Center
  • St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church
  • Webster Street Academy
  • Wesley Community Center
  • YWCA

“We’ve always had a great interest in things that impact children and youth,” said C.J. Francis Foundation President Patricia Francis. “What could be better, especially in time of COVID, than something that allows people to be socially and emotionally connected?”

In the case of the Dayton Metro Library, the grant was originally intended to serve the Trotwood branch and its patrons. But with COVID sending all programming online, this grant provides an opportunity for the library to incorporate the software across children’s programming county-wide, said Julie Buchanan, Dayton Metro Library Programming Manager.

“Movement and music programming really engages young children well,” Julie said. “Virtual programming is pretty new to the library. We’re excited to incorporate music a little more fully. This creates an awesome opportunity for us to branch out and hopefully engage people in new ways.”

The library has rolled out several different incarnations of virtual programming since last March, and has found events with a  live element to be most engaging, Julie said. Currently, the library offers three or four live virtual storytimes per week. She envisions a new music program that blends that live element with the My Music Ed platform.

Deron has been very hands-on providing information and training staff, she added.

“To have that level of support form the app creator is going to be awesome,” she said.

For the founder, it’s just his way of paying it forward.

“I love what I do because someone did it for me,” Deron said. “When I was a teenager, there was music conductor named Isaiah  Jackson, then music director for the Dayton Philharmonic. It was the mentoring, the restorative conversations I had with Mr. Jackson, it was being exposed to things I’d never been exposed to before. Now, I’m reaching back and allowing students today to connect with music.”

Deron is a client of the Launch Dayton partner the Entrepreneurs’ Center’s Entrepreneurial Services Provider program, which serves to provide resources to scaleable, tech-enabled companies across the Dayton region. Gail Francis Johnson is his entrepreneur-in-residence through the program.

Deron is also an Early Riser alum — he pitched his app for community support in July 2020.

In addition to this local rollout, My Music Ed is also in the process of implementing pilots in school systems in Indiana, Illinois and Georgia.

New Startup Offers Line of Sage Sprays, Healing Oils

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Spoken word poet and leader of the Dayton Urban Creative Movement Sierra Leone has long utilized smudging, the indigenous practice of burning sage to cleanse energies in a space. But there are some public spaces where it simply isn’t possible to burn sage — so Sierra and her partner, Nate Leone, developed a process to capture the energy-cleansing power of smudging and bottle it.

Sierra (left) and Nate (right) Leone Photo Credit: Launch Dayton

Sierra (left) and Nate (right) Leone Photo Credit: Launch Dayton

The couple launched Acacia Health & Wellness in late summer 2020. The new company offers a line of sage sprays, developed by Sierra, and a line of healing oils, curated by Nate.

“We’ve been making and using these products for ourselves for many years,” Sierra said. “I always wanted a clean space with me, a clean aura and presence.”

Sierra and Nate both come from a long line of healers. Nate’s great-great-grandmother was a Cherokee healer and many ancestors were preachers and faith healers. Sierra comes from a long line of nurses and caregivers. They have long run service-based businesses — Acacia Health & Wellness is their first foray into a product-based business.

“It was born out of our time at home together, something we’re doing as a family. When COVID was most harsh, working on these products became a part of science class, history class, business class for our children,” Sierra said. “The products are adding to who we are. They’re authentic, and we believe they will make a positive impact in the world.”

Different sages focus different energies — some sage works to bring positive energy, others are used only in ceremonies. Acacia’s sprays use sacred white sage, which focuses on clearing energy. They work with Native American women in California to harvest the plant so each step in the process remains sacred, Sierra said.

“We have a whole generation now that doesn’t want to suppress the energetic, spiritual side just because they can’t see it,” she said.

Sierra describes the sage sprays as an “energy freshener.”

“Set your intention and use the sprays to decrease stress, remove brain fog, unstuck energy, elevate the mood, get in a flow,” Sierra said. “In these stressful times, my customers use the spray to set positive intentions and affirmations or to clear negative energy after a tough meeting or too many Zooms.”

Sprays are misted over your head with 3-5 pumps. When clearing a room, spray clockwise in all four corners, then once in the center of the room.

Oils are rubbed into the body to accelerate healing — they have been used as far back as Biblical times to bless and heal, Sierra said.

“Reclaiming our power in a time of need has allowed us to fully develop a product that supports energy centering, inspires creativity and healing,” Nate said.

Sierra brings several cultural identities to her journey as an entrepreneur.

“I get to completely be the woman I am, born as an African American whose lineage extends beyond slavery. I get to bring a culture of innovation that is birthed from an understanding that I don’t have to live life as a fixed asset because of my ancestors’ experience. We get to be responsible for positive or negative energy that we create or leave,” she shared. “I bring a culture of knowing that we are better together. I come from a big family and I do truly believe if you want to go fast, you go alone, but if you want to go far, you go together.”

Sierra is a graduate of the fall 2020 Early Risers Academy cohort. Early Risers Academy is a free, 10-week business-building bootcamp managed by Launch Dayton partner Parallax Advanced Research. Her cohort was the first with all Black women-owned businesses.

“I have an MBA, but there is something to be said for working in an environment that is professionally supportive and culturally safe,” Sierra reflected. “Authenticity was at the forefront and welcomed. So many layers were peeled back, you didn’t have to explain or go underneath or hide or suppress. The experience is competitive, but you’re pouring out your entrepreneurial soul and you know it won’t be used against you.”

Our entrepreneur and small business coverage is powered by Launch Dayton, an organization that seeks to connect entrepreneurs to peers, resources and supporters while telling the story of the region’s thriving entrepreneurial community.

Free 10 Week Class to Help you Launch Your Business

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The Early Risers Academy pre-accelerator program, designed to take participants from business idea to launch within 10 weeks, will kick back off in January 2020.

There are six cohorts slated for 2020, three of which are industry agnostic — any team or individual with an idea for a business can apply. Two of the cohorts will focus on entrepreneurs with ideas for tech-based businesses. The final cohort will be for students who are in between their senior year of high school and their freshman year of college.

One graduate from each cohort will win $1,000 to infuse into their business.

“2020 is the beginning of a new decade, and in this new decade, we are intentionally carving out space for minority founders and business owners to access resources that help build solid foundations and provide hands-on support in order to create successful businesses,” program manager KeAnna Daniels said. “We are committed to reaching non-tech and historically under-represented founders who haven’t always felt seen in Dayton’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

The dates for each cohort are as follows:

• Jan. 14 – March 17, 2020 — general
• Feb. 5- April 8 — tech-based
• April 7 – June 9 — general
• June 3 – Aug. 5 — student
• Aug. 26 – Nov. 4 — general
• Oct. 6 – Dec. 8 — tech-based

The Early Risers Academy pre-accelerator application will be open on a rolling basis. Applicants should indicate which cohort they want when they apply. Up to six places are available in each cohort.

Cohorts will meet for 10 weeks, with in-person meetings on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings from 5:30-8:30p in the Nucelus Coworking Space in the Kuhns Building, 15 W. 4th St, Dayton. Applicants should be able to commit at least 4-6 hours per week to coursework for the duration of the academy.

“Our ideal applicants are aspiring entrepreneurs with solid ideas that they have given some real thought to and have begun to asks themselves the hard questions regarding its feasibility,” Daniels said. “We particularly want to know that they have skin in the game and are committed to making their idea work, even if they have to pivot. We are looking for aspiring founders who are looking to take action.”

Participants will spend those 10 weeks moving from idea to founding a business through coursework from the Kauffman Foundation, the country’s preeminent entrepreneurship-building organization. Aspiring founders will receive pitch coaching and hands-on mentoring, weekly discussions with successful entrepreneurs and experts, access to Dayton’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, & alumni support after graduating the academy.

Graduates who pursue business launch will also have a chance to pitch for a $1,000 grand prize at the conclusion of their cohort’s programming. Pitch events will be organized with Launch Dayton, a collaborative effort to connect entrepreneurs to peers, resources, and supporters, and to tell the stories of our region’s thriving startup community.

Apply here.

This pre-accelerator is supported by The Entrepreneurs Center & Wright State Research Institute, collaborators on the region’s Entrepreneurial Services Provider (ESP) grant which is funded by Ohio Third Frontier.

Local Women’s Businesses Partner on Dayton-Made Holiday Gift Set

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Four female founders have partnered on a 2020 Dayton-made holiday gift basket.

The Dayton Woman-Owned Business Gift Baskets include baking mixes & espresso salt from Mandy Groszko’s Ella Bella GF; coffee from Kait Brown’s Savorista; toffee from Sarah Thieben’s Sweet Nothings; and chocolate-covered coffee beans from Jen Larochelle-Starbuck’s Gourmet Berries.

Mandy had pulled together gift baskets in prior holiday seasons, but only featuring her own products, she recalled. This year, she decided to incorporate other products from local startups.

“I didn’t set out to do woman-owned businesses, but that’s who I’ve connected with at these events over the last year,” she said. “There are lots of woman-owned businesses in Dayton, & that’s awesome. We’re really excited to have something local all together and be able to share with the community.”

The baskets come in two sizes, small for $45 or large for $65.   Available for local pick-up only — order by Dec. 20 and pick up locally Dec. 16 or Dec. 23 between 2 & 7pm.

Pitch Competition For Early-Stage Hardware Startups

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The AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup is a national pitch competition with semifinal rounds held in Pittsburgh, Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, Research Triangle (NC), and San Jose.

Dayton is one of eight cities within driving distance of Pittsburgh that will host an AlphaLab Gear Hardware PittStop. Six startups from the Dayton region will be selected to pitch on Jan. 16, 2020 at 5p at the Nucleus coworking space in the Kuhns Building, located at 15 W. 4th Street in downtown Dayton.

Apply now for the Jan. 16, 2020 AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup Dayton PittStop and you could earn a shot at $50,000 for your early-stage hardware startup.

The PittStop winner will receive a travel stipend and two-night hotel stay in Pittsburgh, plus a chance to compete in the semifinal competition on Feb. 27, 2020. The winner of the semifinal will win $3,000 and a shot at the $50K AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup grand prize in May.

To be eligible, a startup must have at least one physical product component. These products range from manufactured products, IoT/connected devices or health/medical devices to consumer products, consumer electronics, food, fashion, robotics, etc.

The deadline to apply for the Dayton PittStop is Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. A panel of representatives from area entrepreneurial support organizations will select the top six startups to pitch on Jan, 16.

Each startup will have 3 minutes to pitch, followed by 3 minutes of Q&A from a panel of judges which will include a rep from the Pittsburgh Hardware Cup semifinal team.

The Dayton Hardware PittStop will be held during the Jan. 16 LaunchPad, a monthly event designed to connect and support the Launch Dayton community. LaunchPad events offer a series of workshops, meetups and networking opportunities for the region’s entrepreneurially-minded individuals, whether they’re launching a tech startup, a retail storefront, a new product line, a community project or a nonprofit.

Apply at: https://gust.com/programs/alpha-labgear-hardware-cup-pittstop

Learn more about the AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup here: https://alphalabgear.org/hardwarecup/

Savorista Offers Shockingly Great Decaf Coffees

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Love coffee, but it doesn’t love you? Fear not, Savorista & its line of caffeine-conscious coffees are here!

Founder Kait Brown was working a high-stress job in Chicago when her father was diagnosed with cancer. She switched to decaf when she realized her coffee consumption was making it even harder to sleep and deal with the stress.

But she discovered that her decaf options sucked, she recalled with a laugh. So she and her husband set off around the globe to find and bring home the best decaf coffee.

Kait pitched Savorista at our August 2019 edition of Early Risers.

“Most decaf is bad because it starts with lower quality beans that are chemically decaffeinated,” she said.

Kait & Daniel visited coffee producers and decaffeination centers in South America & East Africa. They tried hundreds of cups of coffee to find better beans & processes.

Savorista currently offers four caffeine-conscious decaf coffees online. The coffee begins with high-quality beans that are naturally decaffeinated using a water process, then roasted to order in small batches. Wait plans to also offer a low-caffeine coffee later this fall.

“We’re looking to shift the way people think about low-caffeine & decaf coffees,” she said. “It’s a valuable addition to your day, especially in the afternoon or evening with a great pastry. It’s not a punishment for being caffeine-sensitive.”

In the U.S. there are 30M people who drink decaf coffee at least once a week, representing a $1B market, Kait shared. And there are another 80M who drink coffee every day, but are interested in limiting their caffeine intake, representing an addition $2.7B market, she added.

Savorista is aiming to be the household name in decaf coffee. So far, they have shipped product to 37 states and 3 countries.  Support Kait by trying a cup of Savorista coffee & telling a friend!

Local Soaper Creates Storybook Line to Support Dayton Children’s Hospital

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When a rep from Dayton Children’s Hospital approached entrepreneur Katie Hall about having a coin jar at her 2nd Street Market booth, Katie saw an opportunity to make a much larger impact.

Next month, the founder of Fox in Socks Soapery will release a new line of storybook soaps to support the institution’s work.

The soaps — locally made and sourced, true to Fox in Socks’ mission — will be packaged to look like children’s books. Katie will open up sales Nov. 2 with a faux book launch party at 2nd Street Market that will feature face painting & a scavenger hunt through the market.

Katie will also be accepting children’s book donations during the launch party — and she’ll match every book donated with a bar of storybook soap that will be delivered to a patient at Dayton Children’s Hospital.

“I knew I wouldn’t make an impact with a coin jar,” Katie said, reflecting on her foot traffic. “I said, ‘I want to make you a specific line.’”

The solopreneur made the jump from hobbyist to small business owner about five years ago. She tapped the knowledge she gained studying biotechnology to create her formulas, then she set off visiting Ohio Proud farms to locally source as many of her ingredients as possible.

“I want to build community one bar at a time,” she said. “When you buy a bar of my soap, you’re supporting up to 15 small businesses. My dream for my business is to source enough product that I can impact other small business owners to reach their dreams, too.”

Katie will donate 25 percent of the proceeds from the upcoming storybook line to Dayton Children’s Hospital.

LAUNCH PARTY:

Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 8am – 3 pm

Stop by the 2nd Street Market on Saturday, November 2nd. The party starts in the Market Pavilion with family storybook activities, face painting, an Instagram photo booth and then you’ll be on your way to hunt for sweet treats throughout the market.

Your treasure hunt will end at the shop where you will get the chance to see (and smell!) the new children’s Storybook Soap. 25% of all Storybook Soap sales will go directly to Dayton Children’s Hospital. Still want to give more to Dayton Children’s Hospital…for every children’s book that is donated during the launch party, I will donate a swag bag full of goodies to a child at Dayton Children’s Hospital.

 

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Kickstarter live for veteran startup seeking to recycle uniforms, tell stories

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Will Romes is working to help fellow veterans transition to civilian life — by helping their uniforms make that same transition.

Will’s new company, Eighth Order, will take donated uniforms from retired veterans and re-pattern them into new oxford-style cotton shirts. He’s running a Kickstarter now to get the company up & running.

An Air Force veteran, Will wasn’t ready to retire at age 38.

“In military life, there are stage gates,” he explained. “Goals are easily achievable  if you follow the path laid out.”

As he looked toward retirement, he realized he didn’t have a path laid out for his post-military career. He was pondering this new reality one Sunday as he dressed for church, and his eyes wandered to the four stacks of military uniforms that he would soon be throwing away.

It seemed like a shame, he recalled. So he looked for a way to repurpose it.

He connected with a factory in California that can make eight pattered shirts out of each military uniform, But Eighth Order isn’t only about clothes — it’s also about the stories behind those uniforms, he said.

According to the Veterans Administration, between 11 and 20 percent of U.S. veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. Will is one of them.

Sharing the stories behind the uniform — what countries it has traveled to, what campaigns it has seen — can help the veteran deal with the disorder, Will said.

When veterans donate their uniforms, they’ll also return a card where they share as many or as few details from their service as they wish. This card will eventually be distributed with the shirts the uniform is used to create.

Will has 45 days to go on his $20K Kickstarter goal. He hopes to launch his Eighth Order e-commerce shop in February 2020. Share this story, & click here to support him!

Meet the entrepreneur opening a boutique workout studio downtown

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Looking for a quick, efficient group workout downtown? Lindsey Deck wants her new workout studio, Third Space Fitness,  to be just the spot.

Lindsey is building out a boutique fitness studio in the St. Clair Lofts with plans to launch classes in September. Classes offered will include barre, TRX and dance cardio. 

Attorney at Taft Law, wife and mother, Lindsey knows how important it is to take care of yourself — and how important it is for those workouts to be time-efficient & require a limited commute.

“As a mom, I take better care of my daughters if I take care of myself,” she said. “But I’ve got to get in, get out and get home.”

Lindsey has been taking group fitness classes since she was a teenager. She likes the community atmosphere & the variety of workouts that hit flexibility, cardio and strength all in one.

“I don’t want to go into the gym and have to figure it out,” she said. “I want to be told what to do, see friends, then go home.”

Lindsey first dreamed of someday owing her own studio when she was in law school in St. Paul, Minnesota. After returning to Dayton, as she started to look for the perfect studio location, she kept being drawn back downtown, where she works.

“I’ve been living in Dayton since I was 6 years old, and I’m super excited about everything going on downtown,” she said. “I feel like a proud parent, I get so excited whenever there is good news about Dayton. I am thrilled we found a spot downtown.”

Her studio offerings will complement other fitness offerings in the downtown area, such as yoga, cross fit, weight lifting, cycling and boxing, she said — & maybe someday, these studios will join forces for a membership that allows people to tap into them all, she added.

In the meantime, she blames her father for her entrepreneurial goals. A general contractor, he launched his business when Lindsey was in elementary school.

“I kept waiting for that feeling to go away, but when I finally talked to my dad, he understood it, this nagging,” she recalled. “It’s very cool to create something of your own.”

Stay tuned on Instagram thirdspacedayton for the latest as Lindsey gets her studio up & running.