CINCINNATI — The Findlay Market Opening Day Parade returns Tuesday for the first time since 2019.
The parade begins at noon at Findlay Market. The route runs down Race St. before turning onto 5th St. Downtown.
Several new businesses have opened along the parade route since the last time the parade was held, including Fillo Greek Bake Shop. The Greek bakery opened this past September, after signing its lease in 2019.
Owner Evan Papanikolaou said it was challenging to open the business during the pandemic.
“We went through a lot,” he said. We obviously, we didn't anticipate or expect what happened with COVID and everything that came with it. The whole world turned upside down. Unfortunately, we got caught into it.”
Papanikolaou said staffing has been challenging. The business has five employees and he says they’ll need more than 20 to open the concept fully.
He said he’s looking forward to his business’s first opening day parade. While he doesn’t know what to expect, he’s excited for the crowds it will bring to Over-the-Rhine.
“Anytime you get exposed to new customers, you make new friends and new customers and we hope that they will like us and come back and tell their friends also,” he said.
Fillo is accepting reservations on its outdoor patio and is planning a menu of handheld foods served through the store’s outdoor window.
The parade's grand marshal will be former Cincinnati Reds player and Hall-of-Famer Barry Larkin. You can read more information about the parade here.
