On Lunara Bakery's first day open, about 100 people came to Haymarket Square for a bakery that sells only by preorder. Chad Stachowicz, one of the square's new owners, gave that count to The Blade. They parked and walked in along a block of Main Street that had not been rebuilt yet. The same Blade story reported that Lunara filled the last open retail space in the square.
So as October ends, every storefront at 5758 Main St. is leased, and the street out front is still a construction zone. The businesses that moved in this year are set up to work during the wait.
Every Storefront Leased, Months Before the Street Is Done
In early August, one storefront at Haymarket Square was empty. It was the former Bandit's Main Street Eats, which closed in June. That same summer, The Blade reported that Main Street Sweets closed in April and Finch & Fern Book Co. closed in July. Sylvania Chamber of Commerce CEO Tiffany Bosch told the paper, "It is hard to operate a small business, and it has been even more difficult with the downtown and Monroe Street construction."
Compared with that year, a fully leased Haymarket stands out. Here is who is in the square now:
- The Sodbuster Bar calls itself a Tigers bar and holds weekly music trivia and other events.
- Maumee Bay Kitchen & Bath Center is a Wellborn cabinet dealer.
- J. Fox Insurance is in Suite 3 and writes home, auto, condo, renters, motorcycle, boat, RV and business policies.
- JEM Photography is a studio for weddings, engagements, families, newborns, seniors and business branding.
- Beau Haus Salon, owned by Amber Rey, celebrated its grand opening with Haus Fest on Sept. 26.
- Lunara Bakery is in the former Bandit's space and makes European-style pastries and baguettes.
Two of the six arrived in the last week of September, on a block still waiting for its new street. Lunara was open by the time The Blade's story ran on Sept. 25, and Beau Haus held its grand opening the next day. According to the Sylvania Advantage, Haus Fest ran from 1 to 5 p.m. and brought in live music, local dessert and beverage vendors, and a bounce house set up in the parking lot.
A Strip Center Bought From Out of State, During Construction
Haymarket Partners LLC closed on the shopping center on July 21, according to Lucas County auditor records cited by The Blade. The partners are Chad Stachowicz, his childhood friend Alex Glonek, and Edward Umansky. They paid $1,326,800 for the center plus a triplex across the street.
Stachowicz grew up in Sylvania. He now lives in Charlotte and is CEO of Cloverhound, an engineering and software development company with offices in Denver and Costa Rica. A Sylvania office is planned, and it will be in Haymarket. His plans include a new facade, a new sign and updated offices upstairs. The 1,600 square feet of upper-floor space will become three offices. Cloverhound will take one, and the rest will be rented out.
He described the problem he wants to fix this way:
"Right now Haymarket is easy to drive by. I am hoping we can change that perception. Once it is done, we want Haymarket to be a go-to spot. My vision is for it not to be forgotten anymore."
He also said the existing tenants were welcome to stay. "These are mom-and-pop shops, and it is their livelihood," he told The Blade. "We will find a way to make it work if they want to stay."
City leaders have been following the work. Law director Leslie Brinning, who is also the city's economic development director, told the paper she has been watching the video updates Stachowicz posts on Facebook. The purchase closed during the same summer as the downtown closures listed above. The buyers were betting on how the block would look once it is finished.
The Bakery That Runs on Preorders
Lunara shows how a business can do well on a block that is still being rebuilt. Lucy Essi has run the bakery out of her garage since June 2025. She sold at festivals and at the Toledo Farmers' Market, where she told The Blade that a line forms at 7:45 a.m. for an 8 a.m. opening. She moved to the U.S. from Spain at 13, and her menu reflects that. It includes almond, butter and chocolate croissants, kouign-amann, Portuguese custard tarts called pastéis de nata, cardamom buns, doughnuts, Danish pastries and baguettes.
The space came with help from the previous tenant. Tracy Krell Tober, who owned Bandit's, contacted Essi while Essi was looking for a storefront. Lucy and her husband, Alex Essi, bought Bandit's equipment and now lease the space. Alex left his mechanical engineering job to work at the bakery.
As of The Blade's Sept. 25 report, there was no walk-in service. "We are not relying on walk-in traffic for now," Essi said. She added that a regular storefront with sourdough and more is the long-term goal. This is how ordering worked at that time:
- Online ordering opens at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
- You pick up your order at the Haymarket Square store the following Thursday.
- Lunara also kept selling at the farmers market on Saturdays.
Supply is tight. Essi said the first two drops each sold out within 15 minutes. Kevin Plueard, general manager at Berger's Olde Tyme, told the paper that when he checked the site after the storefront pickup was announced, "it felt like everything was sold out within minutes." Lunara's Hotplate page is where ordering happens. When no drop is scheduled, it offers a signup for a reminder, and it links to the bakery's Facebook and Instagram, so check there before Saturday morning.
Getting to Haymarket This Week
If you have a Thursday pickup on Oct. 29, the route is different from last week. The Sylvania Area Chamber of Commerce's Oct. 19 construction update lists two changes that began Monday, Oct. 26:
- Erie Street: The eastbound lane between Main and Summit is closed for about 10 to 14 days while crews install storm sewer. Westbound traffic on Erie stays open, and so does every driveway.
- Main Street: Between Maplewood Avenue and Erie Street, northbound traffic moves into the southbound lane, and the street stays northbound-only. The shift will stay in place after Erie reopens so crews can install storm sewer crossovers.
Haymarket Square is in this stretch. The city's project page defines Phase 2 as Main Street from Maplewood to Erie, and The Blade places Haymarket inside that phase. Approach Main from the south side and plan to head north through the block. The Chamber's page also links to a city public-parking map for downtown.
How Long the Street Will Take
The estimates for finishing Phase 2 have moved, so there is no single date to plan around. In January, the city's goal was to finish the main infrastructure, meaning roadway, sidewalks and park improvements, before winter, with final aesthetic work in spring 2027. In August, The Blade said Phase 2 was expected to be done by Memorial Day. In mid-September, the Sylvania Advantage reported that roadwork on the second block was waiting for Buckeye Cable and Frontier to finish moving overhead lines underground. By Oct. 19, crews were laying the storm sewer main along the west side of Main and setting a large manhole near Erie.
The first block shows what the finished second block should look like. Phase 1 wrapped up last fall and added outdoor seating and more parking. The full Main Street project costs $4.4 million and is meant to make both blocks match. When the second block opens to two-way traffic, Haymarket will already be fully leased, with a new facade planned and new offices upstairs.
Chirley Lima follows changes on blocks like Haymarket closely because new owners, new tenants and street projects shape what downtown Sylvania will feel like next. If you'd like to talk through what's changing on Main Street and what it could mean for your plans, Chirley Lima is happy to walk through it with you. Book A Consultation.
