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Anticipated globally-inspired bakery & bistro opens this week
MAY 7, 2024
Photo via Cocinamos' Facebook
For the past couple of months, people have been peeking into the windows of 3 W. Winter St., watching a new bakery unfold.
“During construction, we purposefully left our windows open. We wanted Delaware to see our progress!” emphasized co-owner of Cocinamos Bakery + Bistro, Nelson Morales.
Now, the wait is almost over. Starting on Thursday, May 9, Cocinamos is officially opening their doors, serving South-American and European influenced baked goods, coffee, lunch, and dinner.
The concept, which means ‘let’s cook together’ in Spanish, is brought to us by Chef Morales and Kyle Miller. The two met about three years ago, first selling cakes online together, and now, the duo is bringing something to Downtown Delaware that they said they haven’t seen before.
Morales is originally from Venezuela, where he attended culinary school. After moving to Florida for political asylum, he worked in various restaurants, then moved to Delaware. “My whole idea is to show my Latin American culture through my personal recipes,” he explained. His recipes are indeed so good, that he was chosen for a popular cooking competition out of 7,000 other competitors. Unfortunately, due to his asylum status, he was unable to finish the competition, for he wasn’t allowed to travel outside of the United States for the rest of the contest.
That’s okay, though – he said that the cooking competition made him feel more confident in opening a restaurant of his own, and the recipe he made for his audition will be served at the restaurant (hint: order the Chocolate Flan Impossible Tart!). He’s cooking up pastries and dishes with flavors inspired by his home country Venezuela, but also Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and a variety of other countries.
Morales’ counterpart, Miller, grew up in Delaware. He spent his career as a teacher and then principle, and is now currently in a leadership position with the Special Olympics. His passion for community is still showcased through the bakery, where every month, Cocinamos will partner with a nonprofit, where proceeds from a monthly pastry will be donated to their nonprofit. This month, they’re of course partnering with the Special Olympics, with a croissant filled with fresh red berries.
Stepping foot into Cocinamos, you’ll notice the eclectic, second-hand furniture and decor, which Morales says he sourced 95% of the entire restaurant from Goodwill and Facebook Marketplace. “Every corner is filled with antiques and old-world decorations,” he said. “My idea is that when people are in this restaurant, they feel like they’re going to their grandmother’s home, in a way.”
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It’s cozy yet elegant, with wooden tables for seating inside, olive green accented walls, hunter green leather booths, and even a section with antique couches and comfortable chairs. “There’s a very European feel to it,” said Miller. “It’s a beautiful space, built with reclaimed stuff we love. It feels like you’re at home.”
I don’t know about you, but at my home, I definitely don’t have the type of the food they’re offering in my kitchen.
For breakfast, guests can choose from pastries stuffed with guava and cheese, and Morales’ specialty, Pan de Jimon, which is a delicious sweet bread filled with cream cheese, bacon, ham, olives, and raisins. Plus, a variety of other pastries, cakes, tarts, and cheesecakes, along with a small breakfast menu.
Cocinamos’ Pan de Jamon; Photo via Facebook
“Think of your favorite American breakfast dish, then give it an international fusion twist,” said Miller. “We’ll have waffles and pancakes, but also breakfast arepas and empanadas.”
The coffee bar also features global inspired coffees infused with fruits.
“This won’t be your Starbucks or normal coffee shop,” joked Miller. “But if that’s what you prefer, you can get a dark roast and add your cream and sugar to it.”
For lunch, the bistro will serve Italian and American sandwiches, and for dinner, about six choices from a curated menu. For example, Risotto three ways (vegetarian with mushroom, or chicken, or shrimp), Pasta con Asado Negro (juicy beef tenderloin prepared with Venezuelan spices), plus more.
Their mezzanine is the spot for participatory dinners, where Chef Nelson will host cooking courses for groups of strangers or friends. One person has already bought an entire participatory dinner for her entire group of friends. And when they’re not hosting a dinner, the mezzanine is available to reserve for a party.
They’re planning a slow opening process, starting with just the bakery for 5-7 days, then offering breakfast, then slowly bringing in lunches and dinners. They’ll initially be open Monday-Friday, 7am-3pm, Saturdays, 8am-3pm, and Sundays, 9am-3pm.
“Everyone is so excited,” said Morales. We’ll definitely see you there!
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Big development coming in downtown Delaware as regional expansion continues
by Tom Bosco
Mon, August 14th 2023, 8:21 PM EDT
A developer is investing millions into Delaware property to create coworking spaces that are attractive to workers post-pandemic. (WSYX)
DELAWARE, Ohio (WSYX) — Small suburban towns of Central Ohio are attracting attention as the region grows.
A developer is about to invest $3 to $4 million in a downtown Delaware property, anticipating workers will want to “co-work” in the office space he’s creating.
Jared Jablonka is developing three properties on W. Winter St. in downtown Delaware which were recently vacated by the Delaware General Health District. In what once were medical exam rooms and offices, he’s planning on a restaurant and coffee shop, a retail business, and more.
“This one took a little bit of vision, I guess,” he said of plans for the space. “But from a real estate perspective, we were attracted by the location.”
That location is in a small town outside the I-270 loop, one of numerous small towns poised for growth, becoming more attractive for folks to live and work. Among the reasons: Intel and other tech companies’ planned expansion.
“We think there will probably be some Intel spillover effect,” Jablonka said. “Delaware is one of the closest smaller urban environments to Intel.”
Along with the retail areas, Jablonka also has an agreement with the company Regus, which provides office space for small companies and individuals who don’t need full-time office infrastructure, a concept known as “co-working.”
Sean Hughes, Economic Development Director for the city of Delaware, said the pandemic showed workers they didn’t really need to be in an office or drive to downtown Columbus for work.
“This really, post-pandemic, gives people an opportunity not to really leave town to work,” Hughes said.
The co-working space could provide offices for up to 230 people. But that leads to a frequent Delaware complaint: parking.
Hughes said he doesn’t expect 230 to be competing for parking spots at the same time.
“The parking spaces kind of turn over differently than a traditional office format,” he said.
Plus, he points out that the Health District has located 100 employees out of downtown, freeing up parking.
Downtown Delaware buildings to be converted into restaurant, coworking and experiential retail space
Three adjacent buildings on West Winter Street in downtown Delaware are being converted into new commercial space.
By John Bush – Staff reporter, Columbus Business First
Updated Aug 11, 2023 11:46am EDT
A trio of downtown Delaware buildings are being converted into new commercial space featuring a restaurant, coworking and experiential retail.
Jablonka Real Estate Partners, a real estate development company based in German Village, is investing $3 million to $4 million to transform the underutilized properties on West Winter Street.
JREP Principal Jared Jablonka said the developer and broker 3CRE "hit pre-leasing hard" after acquiring the buildings this year and were able to execute deals with a global coworking firm, as well as two Delaware-based businesses.
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Here are the projects:
1 W. Winter St.
The five-story, 22,000-square-foot building at the corner of Winter and North Sandusky Street was developed in 1914 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It currently houses a First Commonwealth Bank branch on the ground floor, which will remain as a tenant after the upper floors are redeveloped.
The bank uses a 41 N. Sandusky St. address, but the office space above has a separate entrance and will have a 1 W. Winter St. address.
Regus, which is owned by workspace solutions company IWG, will occupy 20,000 square feet on the upper levels of the building. Those floors will be renovated and converted into coworking space that can accommodate 200 people at any time.
Jablonka said Regus/IWG was interested in expanding to Delaware in an effort to grow its presence in Central Ohio, where the company has existing locations in Columbus and Dublin. Delaware isn't far from the future Intel Corp. site in Licking County, which will see an influx of workers when the $20 billion campus is completed in 2025.
"They were trying to get into Delaware, partially as an Intel play, but also because there's a lot going on in Delaware," he said. "We think they'll be a really strong tenant and with as many as 200 people working there, it could be a nice little boost for all the coffee shops, restaurants and other stuff downtown."
The First Commonwealth Bank building at 41 N. Sandusky St./1 W. Winter St.
KRISTIN WALTON, KP PRODUCTIONS
The project is in the planning, design and permitting phase. It is expected to open in the first quarter of 2024.
In addition to Regus/IWG and First Commonwealth, JREP is planning a speakeasy cocktail bar in a finished basement beneath the bank. The 3,500-square foot space has its own entrance and includes an original bank vault that is about as old as the building itself.
Most recently, the space was used as a break room/training room by the Delaware Public Health District, which also occupied space within the other West Winter Street buildings JREP is redeveloping before moving to a new location at 470 S. Sandusky St.
A deal has not been reached for the basement space, but Jablonka said his firm is talking with a couple potential businesses that would operate the bar.
"This will be the last part of the project once everything else is delivered," he said. "We're probably a year or so off from that, but it could be a cool addition."
3 W. Winter St.
This historic building had several uses over the past 130 years, including a Red Cross facility, a men's clothing store, offices and retail. Most recently, the health district used the property as annex/overflow space.
The building has about 11,500 square feet on three levels, plus a mezzanine. The space will be converted into a restaurant, bakery and cafe/pastry shop operated by Cocinamos, a local business that currently works out of ghost kitchens and food trucks. This will be its first brick-and-mortar location.
The future Cocinamos building at 3 W. Winter St. in downtown Delaware.
KRISTIN WALTON, KP PRODUCTIONS
In the evenings, the space will operate as a full-service restaurant and bar. The 1,000-square-foot mezzanine will be used for group cooking classes a couple days a week.
"It's going to be a really cool thing for people to do up in Delaware," Jablonka said.
5 W. Winter St.
This boutique 3,000-square-foot space is being converted from a health district medical clinic into a retail storefront occupied by The Bare Bowl, a paint-your-own pottery studio currently located at 6 N. Sandusky St. in Delaware.
Jablonka said the studio has been a staple of downtown Delaware for the past 20 years. The business was looking for a new home after its lease ran out at its current location, he said.
The future Bare Bowl building at 5 W. Winter St.
KRISTIN WALTON, KP PRODUCTIONS
"It's a really cool, family-oriented activity," he said. "We're glad we were able to work with them."
Of all the projects, this one is the furthest along. Jablonka said The Bare Bowl should start moving in within the next couple weeks.
Beloved Columbus bookstore named one of America's favorite mom-and-pop shops by Yelp
Taijuan MoormanThe Columbus Dispatch
Published July 19, 2023
Yelp has named The Book Loft of German Village on its inaugural list of America's favorite mom-and-pop shops.
The list, made in partnership with Entrepreneur Magazine, includes 150 restaurants, bookstores, plumbers, hair stylists and other small, locally-run businesses.
The Book Loft, at 631 South Third St., has been a German Village staple since 1977. The bookstore has enamored customers with its unconventional layout in historic pre-Civil War era buildings that once included general stores, a saloon, and a nickelodeon cinema.
Starting with just three rooms, the quirky little bookstore has expanded eight times over the years. Today, the store includes 32 themed rooms featuring a winding maze of bargain books, novelty items and a large collection of jigsaw puzzles. The Book Loft also features a courtyard with benches and gardens for outdoor reading.
In 2021, the owners of The Book Loft, Russ Iler and Carl Jacobsma, along with investor Jared Jablonka, purchased the building and ensured its operation for years to come.
The list of America's favorite mom-and-pop shops includes just one other Ohio find: Somerset Bar, a garden bar in Cincinnati's Over the Rhine.
Yelp created the list by identifying independently-owned and operated businesses with no more than four locations in several categories, including restaurants, arts and entertainment, fitness, beauty and spas, home and local services and more. The list also factored in the total volume and ratings of reviews.
tmoorman@dispatch.com
@taijuannichole
A South High Street building near German Village is for sale
By Bonnie Meibers – Staff reporter , Columbus Business First
Dec 2, 2022
A historic South High Street building is for sale.
The 8,600-square-foot building at 560 S. High St. was listed for sale earlier this week for $1.35 million.
Located next door to the home of High Beck Tavern, 560 S. High is currently home to Jasmine Fusion Grill, an Indian restaurant, and Columbus Axe Throwing. The current tenants are on short-term leases and could be terminated within 60 days if the new owner wanted to also occupy the building, according to the building's current owner.
The building was built in 1900 and renovated in 2010.
Jared Jablonka, of Jablonka Real Estate Partners, is the listing agent and the seller. His offices are on the top floor of the building. Jablonka bought the building in October for $725,000, according to Franklin County Auditor's records.
"We love the German Village/Brewery District area," Jablonka said.
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"After focusing on North High for quite some time, the city seems to be focusing now of the south end of High Street," he said, pointing to new bars and restaurants opening in the area as well as the ongoing improvements to I-70.
Jablonka, a real estate investor and Pickerington native, was part of a recent high-profile real estate transaction in the neighborhood, as he helped the owners of The Book Loft buy their building. The bookstore had been renting its 32 rooms of nearly ceiling books in German Village at 631 S. 3rd St. for nearly five decades.
BUSINESS
With building sale, German Village Book Loft starts new chapter
The Columbus Dispatch
September 2, 2021
The one-of-a-kind Book Loft in German Village has started a new chapter.
After renting space for decades, the owners of the bookstore, famous for its 32 rooms of books, have purchased the building at 631 S. 3rd St.
On Wednesday, the bookstore's partners, Russ Iler and Carl Jacobsma, along with German Village investor Jared Jablonka, closed on the deal, paying slightly more than $2 million for the 8,400-square-foot building that's been standing since 1920. (The purchase also includes the attached building at 632 City Park Ave.)
For the trio, the deal was a way of ensuring that the quirky, labyrinthian operation would continue in the same fashion that made it a German Village institution.
"It's a great feeling knowing I won't have to think about what’s going to happen with the Book Loft in 10 or 20 years. Now we can make sure it stays the Book Loft for a long time to come," said Iler, who started working at the store in 1981, four years after Jacobsma and Roger Tompkins founded it.
In March, the building's owner, the California-based real estate investment firm Great Valley Land, which had owned the property since 2006, put it on the market with the Worthington firm First Site Realty.
Jablonka, a Pickerington native, recently had moved to German Village after 15 years as a real estate investor in Washington, D.C. He was looking for Columbus-area investments when his brother, Evan, noticed the Book Loft listing.
"They (Iler and Jacobsma) were kind of at risk with their lease, with only a few years left and rent well below market," Jablonka said. "Someone could buy the building and crank up the rent in a few years. I thought that would be a real shame, so I put the building in contract as a defensive move, so no one could do that."
Jablonka wasn't the only one eyeing the building. In the two weeks the property was listed before Jablonka put it into contract, the listing attracted more than 2,000 views, said Michael Metersky, owner of First Site Realty.
"I had two dozen inquiries and six or eight offers," he said. "There was significant interest before we put it into contract."
Jablonka said he approached Iler and Jacobsma with the suggestion that the three partner on buying the building. Working with Huntington Bank and the Ohio Statewide Development Corp., the trio came up with a financing plan, Jablonka said.
Even the seller was on board, said Jablonka.
"He was a dream to work with," he said. "He knew he could have maybe gotten more and closed more quickly with a conventional sale."
Jablonka said the new owners plan some "modest" upgrades, mostly mechanical, but have no plans to truly change the maze of a building.
"The most important thing is to keep the charm and uniqueness of the building," he said. "Clearly the experience of wandering around and getting lost in the stacks is the appeal of the place."
jweiker@dispatch.com
@JimWeiker
How The Book Loft came to own its longtime home
By Bonnie Meibers – Staff reporter , Columbus Business First
Sept. 3, 2021
https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2021/09/03/german-village-book-loft.html
The owners of The Book Loft can now write their own ending with the purchase of their longtime German Village home.
The bookstore had been renting its space in German Village at 631 S. 3rd St. for nearly five decades. As of Wednesday, the shop's owners also own the building, which features 32 rooms of practically floor-to-ceiling books of all genres.
Don Daniels had owned the property since 2006 and put it up for sale this past March.
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Daniels, who owns a winery, said he wanted to focus on assets closer to his home in California. When he initially thought about selling The Book Loft building a year ago, Daniels gave shop owners Russ Iler and Carl Jacobsma, who he said became friends of his while owning the bookstore building, the option to buy, but they were not prepared at the time.
There was a lot of interest in the building before Jared Jablonka, a real estate investor and Pickerington native, came along. Jablonka, who recently returned to Columbus from Washington, D.C., teamed up with Iler and Jacobsma to purchase the building for about $2 million.
"I've been a huge fan of the business since I was a little kid and didn't want to see The Book Loft potentially close if their rent was raised, so we put the building under contract this past spring," Jablonka said.
"Based on the ownership group, I made a few concessions," Daniels said of the deal. "I think this is a way to keep The Book Loft going. With (Jablonka) in the mix, I think the business can hopefully get another 40 years."
Daniels said if The Book Loft owners had not bought the building – which was originally eight different shops – he doesn't know what new owners could have possibly done with the unique layout and tangled maze of rooms inside.
"If it wasn't going to stay a bookstore, I don't know what it would be," Daniels said.
Jablonka said The Book Loft can now control its own destiny.
"It's in good hands now," Daniels said. "And it is nice that (Iler and Jacobsma) have a piece of it now."
Iler said he and Jacobsma decided to buy the building because they wanted to ensure The Book Loft would be around for "years and years to come."
"This is a great relief," Iler said. "We are just really happy. Now (that the sale has closed) we're going to get back to selling books and giving an experience unlike anything else."
Jablonka said The Book Loft will remain almost exactly the way it is, with some "behind-the-scenes" updates. Jablonka said part of the charm of The Book Loft is being able to get lost inside the many rooms.
"The Book Loft is my favorite place in the whole world," Jablonka said. "I would go back every time I was in town and any time someone came to town I would show them The Book Loft. When I moved back I moved to Columbus, I moved to German Village, in large part because of The Book Loft."
Jablonka helped guide The Book Loft owners through real estate processes.
He worked with Huntington Bank and Ohio Statewide Development Corp. (OSDC) to get financing for the purchase. Jablonka and the folks at Huntington and OSDC also helped Iler and Jacobsma navigate the Small Business Administration's 504 financing program, a loan program for small businesses that wish to buy the space they occupy.
"I am so happy to be able to help those guys," Jablonka said. "I know not everyone in Columbus thinks The Book Loft is the most magical place in the world, but a lot of people do. There is something special about that place. And The Book Loft can stay there forever now. "