Rabbit Hole Books in downtown Dayton is once again fighting to keep its doors open, this time against the city itself, after officials said they planned to revoke the store's temporary occupancy authorization Monday over building safety concerns that have dragged on for months.
The City of Dayton said it would be revoking the temporary occupancy authorization for the building at 29 W. First St. on Nov. 2, according to WHIO. The city has said required life-safety work on the building was never finished before the store's final extension expired on Oct. 23.
But over the weekend, Hutchins Commercial Realty Ltd., the property owner, installed a man door connecting the adjacent parking garage to the bookstore, creating an additional way out of the building. The city confirmed that the second means of egress was completed and inspected over the weekend, according to WHIO TV.
Egress Fixed, But Other Issues Remain Outstanding
Even with the new door in place, the city said the bookstore is not in the clear. Multiple structural and code-related requirements remain outstanding throughout the building, the city said, per the same report. Officials said the property owner is responsible for completing those remaining requirements before the building can achieve lawful occupancy.
The city has said that resolving the temporary egress problem at least buys time to keep working with the owner on the rest of the outstanding issues. A city spokesperson said addressing the egress gives officials room to work with Hutchins Commercial Realty Ltd. on the other requirements, the station's report notes. Officials also said occupancy decisions must be based on verified building conditions, not assumptions about what has or hasn't been fixed.
The city has previously said that not enough emergency exits remained for the bookstore after the adjacent parking garage closed, and that Rabbit Hole Books did not meet building code, according to the city's own account relayed by WHIO TV. Dayton officials said months of written guidance, plan reviews, permits, inspections, meetings, and multiple extensions were provided to the property owner before the final deadline passed.
Bookstore Director Pushes Back
Larkin Vonalt, the store's director, said she believes the bookstore is safe and has complied with the city's requests, according to the same WHIO TV report. Vonalt has said the store replaced its front windows and bricks and maintains three ways to exit the building. She has also said she feels the city is trying to push the bookstore to move out of its downtown location altogether.
Dayton officials, for their part, have said employees working on the case should be able to perform their duties without harassment, intimidation, or personal attacks, per the same account. The dispute has also been described as an almost year-long disagreement between the bookstore and city officials, according to Dayton 24/7 Now, stretching across much of the time Rabbit Hole Books has operated under temporary occupancy status.
A Shop Already Reeling From a Garage Fire
This isn't the first time Rabbit Hole Books has had to fight to stay open this year. A fire in the adjacent parking garage forced the store to close in February, and the city allowed it to reopen in April after what WDTN described as a 70-day closure, while the Dayton Daily News described the closure as lasting more than 70 days in its own account. WDTN reported the store reopened officially on April 23.
Accounts of the store's history in the building also differ. The Dayton Daily News has reported that Rabbit Hole Books has been a tenant on the building's ground floor since late 2022, while WDTN has reported the shop arrived in Dayton in February 2023. Those discrepancies have not been resolved publicly.
For now, the dispute leaves Rabbit Hole Books in a familiar, uneasy spot: open for business, but still negotiating with the city over whether that will continue. The property owner remains responsible for finishing the remaining building requirements, and city officials have indicated they intend to keep working with Hutchins Commercial Realty Ltd. toward getting the building into lawful occupancy.
