Winans Coffee & Chocolate is expanding east, with a new shop planned for 38 N. Center St. in Pickerington's Olde Pickerington Village. The space is expected to open in the summer of 2027 and will be run by Miles and Monica Thomas, who already own the brand's German Village location.
The new space at 38 N. Center St. will be operated by Winans' German Village owners Miles and Monica Thomas. Columbus Navigator reports that the shop is projected to open in the summer of 2027 — meaning Pickerington shoppers have a bit of a wait before coffee, chocolate and gifts start flowing from the new storefront.
The Thomases aren't new to opening Winans shops. They also own the brand's Short North location at 611 N. High St., which Columbus Underground described as the newest Central Ohio location at the time it opened, joining existing shops in Grandview and Dublin. That Short North shop sells chocolates handcrafted at the company's Piqua factory alongside house-roasted coffee and espresso drinks, the outlet reported.
A Family Candy Business Rooted in Piqua
Winans traces its history back more than 60 years, according to Columbus Navigator. The company's own account says it was officially born in 1961, when brothers Max and Dick Winans opened Winans Carriage House Candies in Piqua, Ohio, continuing a family confectionery tradition that began decades earlier.
Coffee came later. Per Winans Coffee & Chocolate's own history, Max's daughter Laurie and her husband Joe added small-batch, house-roasted coffee to the menu in the 1990s, expanding the business beyond its confectionery roots. Winans says its confections are still cooked in copper kettles, hand-rolled, and hand-packed, while its coffees are responsibly sourced and roasted in small batches.
The company has grown considerably since those early Piqua days. Winans now operates 20 Ohio locations, a modern factory, and a 6,000-square-foot roastery, according to 614now.com. Columbus Navigator adds that the Pickerington shop will give customers on the east side of the region another place to pick up Winans' buckeyes, which the company describes as creamy peanut butter centers dipped in chocolate, with a recipe the company says has been passed down through generations.
Pickerington's Elevate District Keeps Growing
The new Winans shop is set to land in a part of downtown Pickerington now branded as the Elevate District. CityScene Magazine describes Elevate as the new name and vision for downtown Pickerington, with the effort aimed at supporting existing businesses with improved infrastructure, more events and stronger marketing.
The city's economic-development arm frames the district in similar terms. Pickerington Economic Development calls it a walkable destination where residents and visitors gather to shop, dine, celebrate, and connect, pointing to ongoing public investment and revitalization efforts as part of that push. The same site notes that new restaurants, shops, and redevelopment projects continue to choose the Elevate District as their next location.
Recent arrivals back up that description. CityScene reports that Local Cantina opened in the district this year, following Johnson's Real Ice Cream, which was the first redevelopment to be elevated last year. Columbus Navigator notes that Olde Pickerington Village already includes Combustion Brewery, Local Cantina and Johnson's Real Ice Cream, along with Porter's Coffee House and Bakery on West Church Street.
More Openings on the Horizon
Winans won't be the only new name arriving downtown in the coming months. CityScene reports that Fourteen & Ember was working toward a December opening this year, following a complete renovation of the old Solomon's Carpet building. The Hamburger Inn, meanwhile, is slated to open a new diner at 51 E. Columbus St. in the spring of 2027, according to the same report.
Other changes are coming to the district's footprint as well. The former Lisk Dental office at 9 Hill Rd. N. was scheduled to come down before the end of this year, with the city saying it would design a new commercial building to take its place, per CityScene. Columbus Navigator notes that Pickerington's downtown dora program allows visitors to stroll between participating businesses with a drink, while the Pickerington Farmers' Market brings people downtown throughout the year — part of a broader pattern of investment in the historic core through new businesses, public improvements and community events, as additional restaurant and redevelopment projects continue to move through the pipeline.
