What's New on Sandusky Street? A Fall Stroll Through Downtown Delaware's Latest Openings

Start at 44 S. Sandusky St. and walk north. Desi Tadka sits at number 44, Betty's Cupcakes at 38, and Espresso Air at 34. A little farther up, Sip and Spice has its sign at 12. Then you cross William Street, and Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop is at 17 N. Sandusky, across from the Miller Building at 18. Each of these storefronts has opened, reopened, or announced plans since early June. Most of them are run by someone who already had a business, a food truck, or family ties in or near Delaware.

That pattern tells you more about this year's churn than the "For Lease" signs do. When Delaware's Hayes Talisman covered downtown business turnover on Sept. 16, Caroline Pusateri, program director for Main Street Delaware, said most recent closures came from "personal reasons that are outside of business," such as family time and retirement, and that few were about money. The businesses filling those spaces show the other half of the cycle.

The blocks, address by address

Here's where things stand as of early October, based on local reporting from Delaware Source, the Delaware Gazette, NBC4, and 614NOW.

Five of these are confirmed open. Four of them sit within about ten street numbers of each other on South Sandusky, so the corner you might have walked past during last year's turnover now has a cupcake shop, a café, and a restaurant reopened under new owners, all next to one another.

Who is opening these places

The new owners are what tie this year together. Most of them were already operating somewhere close by before they signed a downtown lease.

Espresso Air came south from Uptown Westerville. Talip Kucuker opened the first Espresso Air there seven years ago. The Delaware location at 34 S. Sandusky belongs to his sister, Eslem Kucuker. She's 23 and owns a shop for the first time, though she isn't new to working behind a coffee bar. It opened quietly on Aug. 12, with only the front seating open at first and the back area to follow.

Hallihan's Irish Pub is the latest project from John Cordas. He opened Open Btl on East William Street in March, and he also owns Shorty's Pizza and Sandbar Station in Delaware. His business partner on the pub is Mike Barker, owner of CBUS Title Agency, whose firm handled the title work when Cordas bought the Open Btl property. Barker sent over a list of concepts he'd be interested in, and an Irish pub was one of them. "We don't have any traditional Irish pubs," Cordas told the Gazette. After a series of soft openings to test the menu, the pub at 12 W. William St. started full service the week of Sept. 14.

Sip and Spice Indian Bar & Grill is a jump from food truck to dining room. NBC4 reported that the owners of the Two Fatt Indians food truck were opening the restaurant at 12 S. Sandusky St. 614NOW described it as a longtime local food truck landing its first brick-and-mortar spot.

Desi Tadka went through a different kind of handoff. The restaurant at 44 S. Sandusky closed in April and reopened June 6 under new ownership with fresh renovations. That makes it a clear small-scale example of what Pusateri described, a space that changed hands without going dark for long.

The sweet shops round out the year. Betty's Cupcakes opened at 38 S. Sandusky in June, and Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop opened at 17 N. Sandusky in early July.

What is still on the way

A few projects are announced but not finished, or opened without any reporting to confirm it. They're worth checking on in person before you plan around them.

• Sip and Spice. In July, Delaware Source reported an end-of-July target. In mid-August, 614NOW said no date had been confirmed. NBC4 then reported on Aug. 25 that it would debut during the first week of September.
• Open Btl's rooftop patio. Delaware Source reported in August that the patio at 39 E. William St. would open to the public the last week of that month. It called the space Delaware's only rooftop bar patio.
• 1854 Market Hall. This is the biggest piece. The ground floor of the Miller Building, next to the Hamburger Inn Diner, is planned as a 10,000-square-foot hall with a wine bar, a full bar, golf simulators, up to four food stalls, and gathering space. The target in April was "by Thanksgiving." At that point the owners had letters of intent for the bar and were still looking for other tenants. Upstairs, Studio 201 Hair Company and Lewis Rachel Insurance were named as tenants. The building's own website still says "Coming Summer 2025," so the local news reports are the better guide to its timing.

The market hall matters for the rest of the block. Pusateri told the Talisman, "It'll provide more opportunities for businesses to keep coming in." Four food stalls under one roof would give new operators a way to start downtown without leasing a whole storefront.

Two longer-range ideas are also moving along. In late September, Delaware City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that lets the city convey Spring Street land to the Delaware County Community Improvement Corporation. The CIC would then transfer it to developer Westwood Collective for a hotel with the working name Hotel Wesleyan, planned with 120 rooms. The Delaware Gazette reported that the site is at 7 and 27 Spring St. and that the plans include a rooftop lounge and food and beverage service. Separately, the trio behind the peDel Delaware Pedal Bike Company presented their concept to City Council and are aiming for a March 2027 launch of a pedal bar for downtown.

Using the Fall Flavor Stroll as your tour

Main Street Delaware is trying a new event this month, and it's an easy way to sample the new lineup in one afternoon. The Fall Flavor Stroll runs Saturday, Oct. 24, from 2 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 at mainstreetdelaware.com.

Here's how it works, according to the event page:

1. Check in between 2 and 4 p.m. at the Delaware Welcome Center, 20 E. William St.
2. Pick up your wristband, the list of participating businesses, and a collection bag.
3. Walk downtown and collect fall-flavored samples from each stop on the list.

The list of participating businesses comes with your wristband at check-in. Since the Welcome Center is on William Street, Hallihan's and Open Btl are a short walk away, and the South Sandusky cluster is right around the corner.

The rest of the downtown calendar this fall

If you can't make the stroll, several other dates bring people downtown this season:

• Through Oct. 9: The Arts Castle hosts its 250th Delaware County Photo Contest exhibit.
• Oct. 14, 5 to 9 p.m.: The Strand Theatre at 28 E. Winter St. hosts "42 – Ohio Goes to the Movies The Grand Finale."
• Through Oct. 18: Gallery 22 at 22 E. Winter St. shows "Rustling Reveries."
• Oct. 13 to Dec. 18: Ohio Wesleyan's Richard M. Ross Art Museum has new exhibits, with an opening reception Oct. 15 from 5 to 7 p.m., an artist talk Oct. 22, and "Night at the Museum" on Oct. 29.
• Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to noon: Main Street Delaware's Farmers' Market wraps up its 2026 season with Trick or Treat Down Main Street. On market Saturdays, Sandusky Street is closed between William and Winter.
• Starting Nov. 6: Gallery 22 opens its Holiday Art Fair, a six-week sale.
• Dec. 4 to 6: Home for the Holidays weekend brings the First Friday Christmas tree lighting and the Annual Christmas Parade.

For the remaining First Fridays this year, Delaware County Transit's FLEX service runs until 10 p.m. It offers door-to-door rides between Delaware city locations for $2 each way, or $1 for riders 65 and older and 18 and under.

If you're walking Sandusky Street this fall and wondering how all this activity connects to what homes near downtown are doing, I'm happy to talk it through in English or Spanish. Reach out to Nancy Acevedo and Let's Connect.