Douglas Trattner
A recent visit to PlayhouseSquare for "dinner and a show" confirmed that the neighborhood is on a roll. The combination of unseasonably warm weather, a hot new restaurant opening, and a world-class whodunit resulted in a string of sold-out shows filled with well-fed theatergoers.
If the printed book business is dead, don't tell Mike Zubal. His family's Zubal Books is one of the largest booksellers in the country, moving about a quarter million titles per year. Though you'd never know it, roughly four million books fill a nondescript warren of buildings about a mile from the West Side Market. Never heard of the place? You're not alone.
Any two-bit picker can wrangle up some cast-offs, display them in a storefront, and call the place an "antiques shop." Walk into Reincarnation Vintage Design, however, and you'll be reaching for your wallet faster than an auctioneer yells, "Sold!" Owners Ron and Cyndy Nicolson don't just clean and sell other people's unwanted items; they grant them a whole new life. "Reincarnation" isn't just a name, you see -- it's a business plan.
You'd never know it by looking at her, but Julie Foucher is the "Fifth-Fittest Woman on Earth." Weighing in at a trim 130 pounds, the 5-foot, 4-inch 23-year-old battled her way to the fifth-best spot among women at last year's Reebok CrossFit Games. Foucher isn't just wicked fit; she's wicked smart, too. The University of Michigan graduate is a first-year med student at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.
Black Friday is, blessedly, behind us. So, too, is Cyber Monday. All that stands between today and the holidays are a few weeks of retail panic. Relax, brave shoppers. It has never been easier for a Clevelander to wrap up his or her holiday shopping thanks to a bevy of brief boutiques. These fleeting ventures spring up like magic mushrooms after an imaginary storm to make shopping fun, easy and 100-percent local.
What's the best thing a city can do to achieve more economic success? Increase its number of college graduates. Simply put: The most prosperous cities have the highest number of college grads. Efforts by CEO's for Cities and our own NOCHE -- dubbed the Talent Dividend -- are designed to up college attainment and thereby boost everybody's bottom line.
According to Live Cleveland, there are over two dozen city neighborhoods. But which one is right for you? For urban pioneers, who hope to hit that sweet spot between value and convenience, the answer often is the "emerging neighborhood." Blessed with affordable property, short commutes, and multicultural diversity, these areas possess authentic appeal. And the one ripest for plucking is…
What do hot dogs, running shoes and wooden cutting boards have to do with bringing about community change? Sponsors of the Challenge Cuyahoga promise to answer that question and more during the official Kick-Off Party, which takes place on October 28 at Legation Gallery in the 78th Street Studios.
Kicking off what is being billed as "A Day of Social Innovation," bigBANG! will shine the spotlight on a number of innovative local nonprofits that are benefitting our community. The day-long forum, hosted by Cleveland Social Venture Partners (CSVP) and taking place at the CSU Student Center, is the event's inaugural year.
There's no quibbling that Dan Moulthrop is one of the "smartest guys in the room." What many of us don't know is that he was also a high school English teacher. Unfortunately for his students, he couldn't afford to continue teaching them. His experiences led him to pen a book titled "Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers." That book was the impetus for the documentary "American Teacher," which follows the careers of four young teachers.
Like many immigrants, Carlos Vergara came to the United States in search of a better life for his family. His dream -- a quality education for his sons -- was foremost on his mind when the Vergaras made the journey from Colombia to Cleveland. In the end, it was a partnership with his oldest son Juan that returned the favor.
When it opens on September 1, The Nest will be yet another creative weapon in Tremont's arsenal to lure art-friendly shoppers to the neighborhood. Located in a storefront immediately adjacent to Edison's Pub, the boutique and gallery will feature an eclectic array of fine art, photography, jewelry and clothing.
Inventory will range from $6 jewelry items all the way up to $4,000 paintings. There will be products geared towards children, adults, and home décor fans.
"The clincher is that it is all handmade treasures from local artists," explains owner Robin Schulze. "We only support local people. You won't find anything bought wholesale from department stores."
Artists and craftspeople submit work on a modified consignment arrangement, Schulze says. The Nest gets a monthly fee to house and promote the work, but takes only 20 percent on the back end.
Schulze says that she was surprised to discover how easy it was to find participating artists.
"Before we secured the space, I put an ad on Craig's List to test the marketplace," she explains. "I was overwhelmingly inspired by how many people wanted to be a part of this." Now, she adds, there is a waiting list for artists to exhibit their products.
Described as fresh, modern and not stuffy, the space features slate grey and melon-colored walls. A small coffee lounge will offer espresso, tea, and Wi-Fi starting at 10 a.m. Down the road, the owners intend to add retail wine and craft beer to the mix. Eventually, they hope to turn an old garage out back into a wine bar.
The Nest
2379 Professor Avenue, Tremont
Photo by Diane VanNostran
When it opens on September 1, The Nest will be yet another creative weapon in Tremont's arsenal to lure art-friendly shoppers to the neighborhood. Located in a storefront immediately adjacent to Edison's Pub, the boutique and gallery will feature an eclectic array of fine art, photography, jewelry and clothing -- all locally produced.
As one of Fox 8's newest talents, Reid is still learning the ropes not only as they apply to work but also life in Cleveland. She and her husband moved to town from Pittsburgh just over four months ago, and they're still feeling their way around. Settling downtown, Reid says they are having a blast discovering their new surroundings -- especially the restaurants. (But she's still a Steelers fan.)
When a tree falls in the city of Cleveland, it gets trucked off to a facility that reduces it to mulch, which is then dyed an offensive shade of red or black and ultimately laid to rest on somebody's prized flower bed. It is a crime not only upon nature, but to Dean Heidelberg, owner of Metro Hardwoods. As the operator of one of this country's only urban sawmills, Heidelberg is on a mission to rescue as many trees as possible.
You think you have a lot of balls in the air. As owner of Cleveland Plays, this city's premier sport and social club, John Teel manages a dizzying assortment of moving parts. The organization maintains an active database of roughly 20,000 members who play a dozen different co-ed sports in 40 separate leagues at eight different locations on any given day or night of the year. In addition to providing some much-needed fun and exercise, Cleveland Plays may be the best unofficial dating enterprise in town.
When Tyler Elevator moved its facilities to the 'burbs, it left behind over one million square feet of vacant warehouse space. A labyrinth of two-dozen brick buildings spread across 10 acres, Tyler possessed more than its share of challenges when it was acquired by Graystone Properties. Today, Tyler has been reborn as a thriving entrepreneurial district -- a bona fide urban village on the fringes of downtown.
Food trucks are all the rage -- both here and across the U.S. Despite one of the worst recessions in recent history, these plucky start-ups are thriving, adding jobs, injecting cash into the local economy, and putting smiles on the faces of hungry diners. But rather than encourage the proliferation of these economic development engines, food truck operators say the City of Cleveland is making it nearly impossible for them to succeed.
If Walter Wirth has his way, every restaurant in Cleveland will soon offer wine on tap. Yes, you read that right -- wine served from a keg. In fact, there is no good reason not to. In addition to providing the freshest possible product at the lowest possible price, the wine-by-the keg approach is as eco-friendly as it gets. While the concept may be new to Ohio, it is by no means a new concept.
Ever wonder who is responsible for the elements of a restaurant that guests don't eat? This engaging video offers a behind-the-scenes look at the artistic players who had a hand in designing Michael Symon's B Spot restaurant. Like Symon, these characters are all "CIA grads." But rather than attending the Culinary Institute of America, Scott Richardson, Paul Sobota and Alexander Lombardo graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Thanks to Jeff Mancinetti for providing the video.