Hyde aiming to add zest to downtown Fostoria

FOSTORIA — Micah Hyde has a well-documented history of giving back to his hometown of Fostoria since becoming a well-established player in the NFL.The former Fostoria High School All-Ohioan has contributed to his home community through his Imagine for Youth Foundation through such ventures as a free youth football camp, the Micah Hyde Champions Club, which allows student-athletes to earn scholarship money and other endeavors.Having retired in late 2024 after an 11-year NFL career, Hyde has been concentrating more on his business ventures, and, indeed, he and his wife, Amanda, have taken on a big one in downtown Fostoria with their purchase of the Foster Block building at the intersection of Main and Tiffin streets. The building currently houses five businesses within six storefronts, and Hyde said he hopes to have tenants for the two remaining storefronts, last occupied by Lance Wood State Farm, in place by the end of the year.Beyond that, there's a lot of space remaining inside and the Hydes have had a number of ideas running through their heads as to how it can be utilized."I just think it's cool that this is something we've always wanted to do," said Micah Hyde during a recent visit to Fostoria from his current home in San Diego. "My entire life, I've gone through downtown and been, like, 'They need this, they need that.' It's our chance to do something."The three floors of the building, of course, have had a great number of occupants since Charles W. Foster, Jr., then the governor of Ohio, had it built in 1882. Though it has few occupants now, that could very well change under the Hydes' ambition to greatly rise the vibrancy of the area. Visitors to downtown have already seen part of the outside restoration of the exterior with a clean, bright look."I'm thrilled by Micah's commitment to his hometown," Fostoria Mayor Don Mennel said. "The refresh of the Foster Block building is amazing, as is his work with the youth and his foundation. He has good ideas and it will be interesting to see what develops."Said Hyde: "I feel like, my entire life, driving through downtown, there have always been vacant buildings, vacant houses, vacant this, vacant that. So, what Amanda and I are trying to do is just slowly get this building operable. We don't have a timeline on this project. We feel like, so far, we've done some pretty good things. As afar as the storefronts, we want to have them (ready for use) by the end of the year. But when it comes to those second and third floors, it's a big project that we're hoping to hack way at in the next couple of years."But the city of Fostoria and the Fostoria Economic Development Corporation are doing a great job of helping us file some of those applications to receive some grants and stuff like that."Currently established within the building are, on East Tiffin Street, the UrbanWoody Brewery and HoneyBee Winery and, on South Main, Java's Enchanted Bean coffee shop, Calico Charlie's Candy & More and In the Axe, "Obviously, when we come home, we want to continue to do great events and I think that building is going to allow us to continue to do that," Hyde said. "The brewery is doing amazing things downtown with the concert series and stuff like that. And it isn't just the brewery. The coffee shop and the candy store and (owner) Brent (Hoerig), at In the Axe have been having cool events, too."While finishing the exterior of the building and filling the vacant storefronts are at the top of the to-do list for the building, Hyde has his eye on the construction of apartments and a space for use by his foundation, which focuses on the overall wellness of children, among other possibilities.Hyde said he's felt frustrated by some in the city who aren't willing to improve or sell their properties, but he's grateful to those who have helped him and his wife along the path of improving Fostoria."It's cool because this is home," he said. "This is where, obviously, my family still lives and a bunch of my friends, and just the overall support that I've gotten from this community my entire life. It's cool to be able to do stuff like that."Another business venture into which Hyde has delved is a THC-infused drink called Hyde's Hail Mary. THC is the primary active ingredient in marijuana and other cannabis products."It's hemp-infused, so obviously it has a little bit of THC in it, and also some CBD and CBG," Hyde said, referring to substances that have been known to have beneficial effects on people. "So, for me, I've dabbled in that over the last couple of years, just being an athlete, because of recovery purposes. And, just for the physical and mental burden of being in the NFL, I kind of started using CBD and CBG."... My plan is for everyone to think of this beverage as a beer with THC. You'll have a few of them (while watching) a football game and stuff like that, and with these, you don't have hangovers; it isn't alcohol. That was a benefit for me because, obviously, being a professional athlete, I like to socialize, but I didn't want to be hung over the next day."Hyde acknowledged that he gave much thought as to whether his image would be adversely affected by his involvement in such a product."I feel like, when it comes to my image and, obviously, what I'm able to do with kids and the nonprofit and stuff like that, that's one side and I think that speaks for itself. I think that everyone who knows me understands that when it comes down to it, myself, my wife, Imagine for Youth, we're going to do what we can do to help kids, and if that gets blurred in any way, then I just think that people don't really realize and know who we are because this is something totally different. It's federally legal and I feel like I would be a hypocrite by not sharing this with people who may struggle with alcohol, with people who may struggle with recovery or being able to relax at night."