New Middletown restaurant one step closer to opening

A restaurant inside a 38,000-square-foot building at 1131 Central Ave. is one step closer to opening.

Gracie’s, an “upscale comfort food-type restaurant,” applied Aug. 26 for a new liquor license, according to Ohio Division of Liquor Control records.

The eatery is just one part of a $250,000 renovation effort launched earlier this year by Ami Vitori to create a "destination corner" for dining, retail and entertainment on the street level.

That includes a wellness and yoga studio and an indoor children’s play place, plus 1,000 square feet of “ready-to-go” retail space.

Gracie’s should open before year’s end, Vitori told the Journal-News.

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