Ghostlight Coffee sets up ‘Corner Shop’ to provide essentials

Owner is asking the community what items they would like temporary market to stock

Shane Anderson says he is simply following in the footsteps of some of the previous owners and tenants of his Ghostlight Coffee building at 1201 Wayne Ave. in creating a temporary market that will be known as "Ghostlight Corner Shop — Homemade Local Goods & Essentials."

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The market will “soft-launch” this weekend, probably by Saturday, to help give neighborhood residents and other customers easier access to essential goods during the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced Anderson to shut down the dine-in portion of his coffee shop. Carryout of Ghostlight’s coffee and espresso drinks and baked goods remains available.

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The building that houses Ghostlight has served as a doughnut shop, a hardware store and a grocery/meat market in past decades and centuries.

"In this time of uncertainty and fear, we are taking a page from our predecessor's books and reviving the Corner Shop for this Dayton neighborhood,"  Anderson wrote on the Ghostlight Coffee Facebook page.

“What neighborhood doesn't need it’s own walk-able corner shop? You know... the place you stop into on a walk to pick up a few essentials, a freshly-baked bagel and your favorite morning drink?”⠀

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Some corner-shop items will become available this weekend, including local milk, eggs, breads, some cleaning supplies, and, yes, a limited amount of toilet paper, purchased from Ghostlight’s restaurant suppliers. Anderson is talking with local producers of meats and other foods to expand the selection over the coming days and weeks. Items can be ordered and paid for online, and customers can set a time to pick up their bagged orders in a no-contact transaction.

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The Ghostlight owner says he wants to help customers avoid having to go to a big-box store and be around large crowds.

The corner shop is not intended to be permanent, Anderson told this news outlet. “We wouldn’t have the space to do this when the customers are in here,” he said.

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But for now, Anderson is inviting neighborhood residents and other customers to suggest what they’d like to see him stock in the shop. Those suggestions can be sent to CornerShop@ghostlightcoffee.com.

Ghostlight Coffee opened in 2011. It added a second “Ghostlight Midtown” location on South Patterson Boulevard adjacent to Old Scratch Pizza last year.

For more information, check out the Ghostlight Coffee Facebook page.

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