June 20, 2025 • 11 mins
Mark Somerson from Columbus Business First has a look at local business news including more Pickleball courts popping up!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's the summer solstice, and it's the longest day and
shortest night of the year. We've got like fifteen plus
hours of daylight today, which.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Is kind of its great everything.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I love summer, but it's also bittersweet because the days
start getting shorter.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
And there he is, he's back glass half empty. Guy.
I'm just it's a fact, I know. But mint, do
you want me to buy every day? A minute? But
it's one.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Minute every day until December twenty first, Okay, I'm just
don't I hear you?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
You're going slowly down that hill on the roller coaster.
I'm just reporting the facts. You are, indeed, But I'm
loved it's like long sunshine, first day summer. Don't kill
the master. Sweet. I'm just saying it's it is bittersweet.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
I know pretty soon it'll be September twenty eighth and
you're going, where'd that sunlight go?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
That means I'm gonna have to tee off a minute
earlier every time.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
And it's gotta be warm this weekend too.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
In case you hadn't heard, it's been a bit, a
little bit of a news story last couple of days.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah, we're all gonna melt yeh ninety five degrees. Yeah,
it's fine, find a pool, have fun standing on the
sun in Columbus.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Let's get Mark Summerson, Columbus Business First on the Legacy
Retirement Group dot com phone line. I know Mark's probably
got the slipping slide ready to go in the backyard
this weekend, maybe uh slipping slide or the baby pool
and just kind of kick back with a cooler full
of your favorite beverages and just relax this weekend.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
No, because you mentioned it's almost winter, so I have
to go find the shovels.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Yeah, happy new Year, buddy. I'm not trying to be negative.
I'm just saying I'm just putting all the information out there.
Don't don't kill the messenger here.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I'm gonna enjoy this long day, or try to enjoy
this long day before you know, we slide into winter.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
When's the last time you jumped on a slipping slide?
Speaker 3 (01:57):
By the way, God, probably what ten eleven?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Maybe united to do that? Get this limit slide out?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Well, at my age, you break a hip if you
do that.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah, yeah, that goes to the rotator cuff, got it?
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Got it?
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Mark Summerson to be careful on what I slipped.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
That's right. There's the third part, slip, slide and break something.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Mark Summerson, Columbus business first dot Com. A number of
decent stories to get to today, including the New Albany
Company has snapped up about twelve hundred acres of land
in Marysville. What is this going to be like a
business park? What's the story here?
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, and in Mary'sville, New Albany Company snatches up land
and that's what they do. They've done that for a
long long time. So when we started noticing that parcels
of land and Union County were all being purchased by
companies with the same address as the New Albany Company,
we started asking questions and they answered him this past
(02:56):
week that these ollc's that they've created to purchase twelve
hundreds of Marysville all goes back to the New Albany Company,
and we spoke with them and they are going to
develop a pair of business parks there. If you've driven
up anywhere between Columbus and Marysville, you will see a
lot of farm land, but you will also see a
lot of acreage that is being purchased for development, and
(03:17):
New Albany Company is one of those companies that really
looks for our business opportunities. The developments will be called
Marysville East Marysville South, will measure about six hundred acres
and they're located on opposite sides of about thirty three
so you'll be able to see these. These business parks
will be marketed for industrial and innovation uses, according to
the company. So yeah, they're going to start developing one
(03:40):
and then the second one. And you know, they don't
actually develop this stuff. They purchase the land then work
with developers to create what could be. It looks like
speck at this point because they don't know which companies
would be moving in. There are some challenges right now
with the economy. A lot of companies are a little
nervous about expanding or going into new industrial sites. But
(04:01):
they're confident that if they start working on this land now,
somebody will fill the bill for them. And yeah, New
Albany companies spreading out. They're not just in Licking County anymore.
They're they're moving.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
I always wondered what was up there, because, as you say,
it looks like just farmland and it's just nothing but
so they don't actually develop the businesses themselves. They're just
kind of brokering it out to whomever wants to go
in there and open it up. So to quote, to
quote Steve Martin in the Jerk, it's a profit.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Deal, right, New Albany company does not do deals that
are not Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
A story I'm really excited about.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Mark, And we mentioned this the other day is Chefonette
in Upper Arlington in the Tremont Center is reopened.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
As of right now, it's opened. Hey, yeah, about an
hour or so ago.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I gotta tell you, when I was growing up, I
was let's see, I was born in sixty five. They
opened in fifty five and the names of the original owner.
I did not know this until I was just reading
up on this to our stories. Chuck Sollinger was one
in Jim Reid And if you drive through Upper Arlington
you'll see Reid Road and Soalinger by the high School.
(05:11):
So you know that families have been around for a
long long time. So yeah, they closed more than a
year ago for renovations. It was acquired last year by
Mike Purdham, who also owns his own bag of nails.
The chain of that and they've been working on it
ever since now. When I was playing soccer in high school,
we used to practice over at Northam Park and after
every practice, especially during late summer, we would head over
(05:35):
to the Chef and Net for chocolate milkshake, which were
the best. And when I would eat there as a teenager,
I really was cheap. I'd get like a grilled cheese,
sandwiche and water. But they have much more on their menu.
I'm gonna have to go back since I have a
little more money now than I did when I was sixteen.
But yeah, they're very excited to open this again. There's
(05:55):
going to be a lot. There's sits sixty people in
the front dining room, twenty five in a private events space,
and there can be overflow seating and then a new
patio will see twenty five. So they're very excited to
get opened again. And I know the people in Upper
Arlington and elsewhere are very excited too. Chef and That
is just an iconic spot in Upper Arlington. It's been
there forever across from the main Library on Tremont Road,
(06:19):
and it's it's just a wonderful place.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
And you said, Mike Purdham is the old bag of
nails guy, So are they going to use the old menu?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Are they going to update the menu? Anything new there?
Speaker 3 (06:29):
They are updating the menu. New editions will be a
double stacked smash burger with sliced onions. Crimson Cup is
now supplying the coffee bread comes from Meditera bakehouse in Pittsburgh,
and Purdham's wife Tara is going to create the cinnamon
rolls her own recipe. Oh yeah, but all the other
stuff is going to be there. You remember, If I
do want to grilled cheese and water, I'm sure it's
(06:51):
still on the menu.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Very good, and that Tremont Center is really popping too.
The Littleton's Market is there. Have you been there?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
That is a fantast.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I've been to Littletons, I've been to Storyline Bookshop, and
the original goodie shop has expanded this year, So yeah,
it's changed a lot. Some of the names, of course,
are very familiar to those in the area. And then
there's some of the new stuff of course with Littletons
and the bookstore, which just make it a really nice
spot to visit.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Mark Summerson, Columbus business First dot com and a locally
owned and operated grocery chain quietly opening their fifth location.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
This one's downtown. Tell me about this one.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Yeah, this is the Continental Tower, which was a failed
office building that people did not know what to do with.
It was redeveloped and turned into apartments so to fill
the first floor, they've been hopeful to get a grocery store.
They teased at it for a while and now they've
announced the Toro meat Market will occupy the eleven thousand
square foot ground floor retail space at the Continental Tower apartments,
(07:54):
which is just great news. Now they're part of the
ground Floor Growth Program which is sponsored by Columbus City
count which means they're getting a subsidy to open up there.
So they made it very worthwhile for Toro to open
up there. Now they have specialty meets at Toro. If
you've never been to one of their groceries. It's family owned.
They love family owned businesses and it's a small company
(08:16):
but starting to really grow. They operate four other locations
across Central Ohio. Some of them are branded Toro's Supermarkets.
It's super exciting to see this is part of those
efforts to get more retail downtown and with as many
people who are moving downtown now, especially in this building,
it's nice to have a grocery store on that first floor.
(08:36):
And apparently the word is if you live in the
downtown spot, they will deliver your groceries up to your
room and sometimes even cater to the room like kind
of like room service. Yeah, so's it's very exciting for that,
and it's great for downtown workers too, who may work
downtown and live in another building, a condo or what
(08:56):
have you, and now they'll be able to go right
to this grocery store there. There's also, of course, another
grocery store over by the library area. So yeah, it's
downtown is certainly growing. You're you're not seeing a lot
of companies open new offices down there, but certainly the
residential part is growing.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
I need to get to a Toro, the Torol meat market,
because I love I love a good mom and pop.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Grocery store, so I need to check that out.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
And that same area, this is the same neighborhood as
Dose Hermanos, which is Mexican food. They were a food truck.
Now they've got a brick and mortar.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
They have a few of them. They also moved into
Clintonville not long ago. Just up at High Street and
Henderson nearby. So yeah, they're going to be opening at
sixteen North High Street, located between Gay and Broad Streets.
And it's again they're getting some benefits of the ground
floor growth program. But yeah, Dose Hermano's very popular Mexican
(09:54):
restaurant and they'll be down there too, So yeah, it's
really exciting to see this kind of growth downtown.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Just had Dose Hermano's food truck maybe a couple of
weeks ago we had an event and that that truck
was the catering end. I mean, a couple of tacos
from them and a cold beer and you.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Are set and amen, I.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Could use a taco right now. And then finally, mark
another pickleball. Pickleball is so hot right now and another
massive pickleball facility is opening up on the east side.
Is this the largest one in the country or the
world or both.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Well, if you listen to match Point Pickleball Club, they'll
tell you the world's largest pickleball facility. Who knows. You know,
we're quoting them as saying that we're not able to
measure every single pickleball facility in the world. So they say,
if not the largest in the country. It may be
the largest in the world. But they're bringing thirty eight
professional grade cushion pickleball courts to roughly one hundred and
(10:49):
twenty five thousand square feet within this two hundred and
fifty thousand squeet square foot warehouse on McCormick Boulevard on
the east side. And we have pictures on our website.
It is amazing how they cramp these these courts in together.
If you play pick a ball and you're having trouble
finding a court, you'll be able to find a court here.
(11:10):
They plan to open in October. They'll have a restaurant
there that will be opening a little later. They're investing
about two point five million dollars in opening this first location.
It's big, it's huge. You can play pick a ball
and then eat and watch people play pickleball.
It's the summer solstice, and it's the longest day and
shortest night of the year. We've got like fifteen plus
hours of daylight today, which.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Is kind of its great everything.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I love summer, but it's also bittersweet because the days
start getting shorter.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
And there he is, he's back glass half empty. Guy.
I'm just it's a fact, I know. But mint, do
you want me to buy every day? A minute? But
it's one.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Minute every day until December twenty first, Okay, I'm just
don't I hear you?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
You're going slowly down that hill on the roller coaster.
I'm just reporting the facts. You are, indeed, But I'm
loved it's like long sunshine, first day summer. Don't kill
the master. Sweet. I'm just saying it's it is bittersweet.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
I know pretty soon it'll be September twenty eighth and
you're going, where'd that sunlight go?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
That means I'm gonna have to tee off a minute
earlier every time.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
And it's gotta be warm this weekend too.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
In case you hadn't heard, it's been a bit, a
little bit of a news story last couple of days.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah, we're all gonna melt yeh ninety five degrees. Yeah,
it's fine, find a pool, have fun standing on the
sun in Columbus.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Let's get Mark Summerson, Columbus Business First on the Legacy
Retirement Group dot com phone line. I know Mark's probably
got the slipping slide ready to go in the backyard
this weekend, maybe uh slipping slide or the baby pool
and just kind of kick back with a cooler full
of your favorite beverages and just relax this weekend.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
No, because you mentioned it's almost winter, so I have
to go find the shovels.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Yeah, happy new Year, buddy. I'm not trying to be negative.
I'm just saying I'm just putting all the information out there.
Don't don't kill the messenger here.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I'm gonna enjoy this long day, or try to enjoy
this long day before you know, we slide into winter.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
When's the last time you jumped on a slipping slide?
Speaker 3 (01:57):
By the way, God, probably what ten eleven?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Maybe united to do that? Get this limit slide out?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Well, at my age, you break a hip if you
do that.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah, yeah, that goes to the rotator cuff, got it?
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Got it?
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Mark Summerson to be careful on what I slipped.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
That's right. There's the third part, slip, slide and break something.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Mark Summerson, Columbus business first dot Com. A number of
decent stories to get to today, including the New Albany
Company has snapped up about twelve hundred acres of land
in Marysville. What is this going to be like a
business park? What's the story here?
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, and in Mary'sville, New Albany Company snatches up land
and that's what they do. They've done that for a
long long time. So when we started noticing that parcels
of land and Union County were all being purchased by
companies with the same address as the New Albany Company,
we started asking questions and they answered him this past
(02:56):
week that these ollc's that they've created to purchase twelve
hundreds of Marysville all goes back to the New Albany Company,
and we spoke with them and they are going to
develop a pair of business parks there. If you've driven
up anywhere between Columbus and Marysville, you will see a
lot of farm land, but you will also see a
lot of acreage that is being purchased for development, and
(03:17):
New Albany Company is one of those companies that really
looks for our business opportunities. The developments will be called
Marysville East Marysville South, will measure about six hundred acres
and they're located on opposite sides of about thirty three
so you'll be able to see these. These business parks
will be marketed for industrial and innovation uses, according to
the company. So yeah, they're going to start developing one
(03:40):
and then the second one. And you know, they don't
actually develop this stuff. They purchase the land then work
with developers to create what could be. It looks like
speck at this point because they don't know which companies
would be moving in. There are some challenges right now
with the economy. A lot of companies are a little
nervous about expanding or going into new industrial sites. But
(04:01):
they're confident that if they start working on this land now,
somebody will fill the bill for them. And yeah, New
Albany companies spreading out. They're not just in Licking County anymore.
They're they're moving.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
I always wondered what was up there, because, as you say,
it looks like just farmland and it's just nothing but
so they don't actually develop the businesses themselves. They're just
kind of brokering it out to whomever wants to go
in there and open it up. So to quote, to
quote Steve Martin in the Jerk, it's a profit.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Deal, right, New Albany company does not do deals that
are not Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
A story I'm really excited about.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Mark, And we mentioned this the other day is Chefonette
in Upper Arlington in the Tremont Center is reopened.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
As of right now, it's opened. Hey, yeah, about an
hour or so ago.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I gotta tell you, when I was growing up, I
was let's see, I was born in sixty five. They
opened in fifty five and the names of the original owner.
I did not know this until I was just reading
up on this to our stories. Chuck Sollinger was one
in Jim Reid And if you drive through Upper Arlington
you'll see Reid Road and Soalinger by the high School.
(05:11):
So you know that families have been around for a
long long time. So yeah, they closed more than a
year ago for renovations. It was acquired last year by
Mike Purdham, who also owns his own bag of nails.
The chain of that and they've been working on it
ever since now. When I was playing soccer in high school,
we used to practice over at Northam Park and after
every practice, especially during late summer, we would head over
(05:35):
to the Chef and Net for chocolate milkshake, which were
the best. And when I would eat there as a teenager,
I really was cheap. I'd get like a grilled cheese,
sandwiche and water. But they have much more on their menu.
I'm gonna have to go back since I have a
little more money now than I did when I was sixteen.
But yeah, they're very excited to open this again. There's
(05:55):
going to be a lot. There's sits sixty people in
the front dining room, twenty five in a private events space,
and there can be overflow seating and then a new
patio will see twenty five. So they're very excited to
get opened again. And I know the people in Upper
Arlington and elsewhere are very excited too. Chef and That
is just an iconic spot in Upper Arlington. It's been
there forever across from the main Library on Tremont Road,
(06:19):
and it's it's just a wonderful place.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
And you said, Mike Purdham is the old bag of
nails guy, So are they going to use the old menu?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Are they going to update the menu? Anything new there?
Speaker 3 (06:29):
They are updating the menu. New editions will be a
double stacked smash burger with sliced onions. Crimson Cup is
now supplying the coffee bread comes from Meditera bakehouse in Pittsburgh,
and Purdham's wife Tara is going to create the cinnamon
rolls her own recipe. Oh yeah, but all the other
stuff is going to be there. You remember, If I
do want to grilled cheese and water, I'm sure it's
(06:51):
still on the menu.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Very good, and that Tremont Center is really popping too.
The Littleton's Market is there. Have you been there?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
That is a fantast.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I've been to Littletons, I've been to Storyline Bookshop, and
the original goodie shop has expanded this year, So yeah,
it's changed a lot. Some of the names, of course,
are very familiar to those in the area. And then
there's some of the new stuff of course with Littletons
and the bookstore, which just make it a really nice
spot to visit.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Mark Summerson, Columbus business First dot com and a locally
owned and operated grocery chain quietly opening their fifth location.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
This one's downtown. Tell me about this one.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Yeah, this is the Continental Tower, which was a failed
office building that people did not know what to do with.
It was redeveloped and turned into apartments so to fill
the first floor, they've been hopeful to get a grocery store.
They teased at it for a while and now they've
announced the Toro meat Market will occupy the eleven thousand
square foot ground floor retail space at the Continental Tower apartments,
(07:54):
which is just great news. Now they're part of the
ground Floor Growth Program which is sponsored by Columbus City
count which means they're getting a subsidy to open up there.
So they made it very worthwhile for Toro to open
up there. Now they have specialty meets at Toro. If
you've never been to one of their groceries. It's family owned.
They love family owned businesses and it's a small company
(08:16):
but starting to really grow. They operate four other locations
across Central Ohio. Some of them are branded Toro's Supermarkets.
It's super exciting to see this is part of those
efforts to get more retail downtown and with as many
people who are moving downtown now, especially in this building,
it's nice to have a grocery store on that first floor.
(08:36):
And apparently the word is if you live in the
downtown spot, they will deliver your groceries up to your
room and sometimes even cater to the room like kind
of like room service. Yeah, so's it's very exciting for that,
and it's great for downtown workers too, who may work
downtown and live in another building, a condo or what
(08:56):
have you, and now they'll be able to go right
to this grocery store there. There's also, of course, another
grocery store over by the library area. So yeah, it's
downtown is certainly growing. You're you're not seeing a lot
of companies open new offices down there, but certainly the
residential part is growing.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
I need to get to a Toro, the Torol meat market,
because I love I love a good mom and pop.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Grocery store, so I need to check that out.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
And that same area, this is the same neighborhood as
Dose Hermanos, which is Mexican food. They were a food truck.
Now they've got a brick and mortar.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
They have a few of them. They also moved into
Clintonville not long ago. Just up at High Street and
Henderson nearby. So yeah, they're going to be opening at
sixteen North High Street, located between Gay and Broad Streets.
And it's again they're getting some benefits of the ground
floor growth program. But yeah, Dose Hermano's very popular Mexican
(09:54):
restaurant and they'll be down there too, So yeah, it's
really exciting to see this kind of growth downtown.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Just had Dose Hermano's food truck maybe a couple of
weeks ago we had an event and that that truck
was the catering end. I mean, a couple of tacos
from them and a cold beer and you.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Are set and amen, I.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Could use a taco right now. And then finally, mark
another pickleball. Pickleball is so hot right now and another
massive pickleball facility is opening up on the east side.
Is this the largest one in the country or the
world or both.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Well, if you listen to match Point Pickleball Club, they'll
tell you the world's largest pickleball facility. Who knows. You know,
we're quoting them as saying that we're not able to
measure every single pickleball facility in the world. So they say,
if not the largest in the country. It may be
the largest in the world. But they're bringing thirty eight
professional grade cushion pickleball courts to roughly one hundred and
(10:49):
twenty five thousand square feet within this two hundred and
fifty thousand squeet square foot warehouse on McCormick Boulevard on
the east side. And we have pictures on our website.
It is amazing how they cramp these these courts in together.
If you play pick a ball and you're having trouble
finding a court, you'll be able to find a court here.
(11:10):
They plan to open in October. They'll have a restaurant
there that will be opening a little later. They're investing
about two point five million dollars in opening this first location.
It's big, it's huge. You can play pick a ball
and then eat and watch people play pickleball.
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