The Village and Venue to open in former Keir building

The Village and Venue will offer an event space as well as fresh fruit smoothies, acai bowls and more.

The building at 27 South Walnut Street has a rich history, housing everything from Derrickson’s Clothing Store to, most recently, Josephine Keir Unlimited, a high-end décor and furniture store. Recently, the building was purchased by Zack and Marissa King who are leasing the building to Taylor Rettano who plans to open The Village and Venue.

“The eatery part of The Village will offer Acai bowls, fresh fruit smoothies, refreshers, yogurts, waffles and more,” Rettano said. “The Venue will be an open space. There is indoor and outdoor space and we have so many exciting things lined up for this space that includes the community! The venue has just over 1,300 square feet of indoor space and about 500 square feet of outdoor space, although this is just an estimate as construction is still underway.”

Born and raised in Delaware, Rettano’s father was in the military and spent his entire career in Dover. She is very close to her parents, Jeff and Karen Michaels.

“They are truly my rock, and they encourage me in everything I do. I really who I am because of them,” Rettano said. “

Rettano attended Caesar Rodney High School, graduating in 2012. She played softball in high school and competed at the travel ball level. After high school, Rettano joined the Air Force Reserves where she met her husband, Anthony. They were both deployed and ended up back in Dover together. They dated for five years before getting married in 2020. Their son, Avery, was born in 2021.

“Parenthood is absolutely amazing and I actually where the name “The Village” came from,” Rettano said. “I am also Team Leader of the real estate team, Diamond Coast Group at Northrop Realty.”

Construction has begun on the Village and Venue location in downtown Milford

Milford is a beautiful community, according to Rettano, which is why she decided it was a good place to open the business.

“There are so many options with more and more coming to the community each day,” Rettano said. “I did a lot of non-profit work in the Dover area in my past work experiences, so Milford was another great town to be part of and I decided to jump on the opportunity when it presented itself. I have a lot of friends and professional relationships in Milford. I’ve been looking for a specific space for a while and my friends knew this. When they purchased the building, Zack approached me and said, ‘I have the perfect space for you.’ When I walked in the door, I knew. I love it.”

The one challenge Rettano believes she will have is the business hours the The Village will operate. Currently, she plans to be open six days a week from 7 AM to 3 PM, but those may be adjusted as time goes on. The Venue will have its own hours based on scheduled events. Since the building is still under construction, she is not sure when The Village and Venue will open.

“Opening day,” Rettano said when asked what she was most excited about with the new business. ‘I cannot wait to see everyone and give the community something they are missing