Vigilant in the news

WTRF 7 News covered the grand opening of the new Vigilant Books & Coffee location in the historic Vigilant Firehouse at 650 Main Street in North Wheeling.  The article details the event schedule for the weekend of October 16th-18th and what customers can expect from the business in the future.

October 2026

Lede News covered the grand opening of the new Vigilant Books & Coffee location in the historic Vigilant Firehouse at 650 Main Street in North Wheeling.  The article details the event schedule for the weekend of October 16th-18th and what customers can expect from the business in the future.

October 2026

Weelunk profiled the Uyehara - Wood family's plan to save the vacant 1891 firehouse at 650 Main St., detailing Crest Investments' purchase of the building and their goal of restoring the original façade while opening a used bookstore and coffee house on the ground floor. The piece follows Chuck and Vera's Indiegogo campaign to raise the remaining funds needed for structural stabilization, beyond a $15,400 grant from the West Virginia Historic Preservation Office.

See all of the details here.

June 2017

In 2017, Vigilant Books & Coffee won Wheeling Heritage's Show of Hands crowdfunding event by the narrowest margin in the program's history — just two votes ahead of runner-up Bike Wheeling, prompting owners Chuck Wood and Vera Uyehara to split the winnings between both projects on the spot. The funds went toward stripping paint from the building's façade to reveal the original masonry and cast terra cotta underneath — a first step Wood said was "critical for visually demonstrating the rebirth of the building." See full article here. Also featured on The Intelligencer here.

May 2027

Funds were raised by the building owners via an Indiegogo campaign and the community stepped up to support the bookstore renovation project. 

To watch the Indiegogo video and see the full details, click here.

April 2017