Lee Chilcote
Stories by: Lee Chilcote
Lee Chilcote is founder and editor of The Land. He is the author of the poetry chapbooks The Shape of Home and How to Live in Ruins. His writing has been published by Vanity Fair, Next City, Belt and many literary journals as well as in The Cleveland Neighborhood Guidebook, The Cleveland Anthology and A Race Anthology: Dispatches and Artifacts from a Segregated City. He is a founder and former executive director of Literary Cleveland. He lives in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood of Cleveland with his family.770 stories found; viewing page 9 of 39.
The Duck Island neighborhood, which is situated off Abbey Road between Ohio City and Tremont, got its name because characters used to "duck" in here to escape cops during Prohibition. At least that's the legend that local residents like to offer.
Somehow, despite the sea-change development that's occurred in Tremont and Ohio City over the years, Duck Island has kept its tucked-away identity. Some new projects were built here, but others were stymied over... Read more >
Somehow, despite the sea-change development that's occurred in Tremont and Ohio City over the years, Duck Island has kept its tucked-away identity. Some new projects were built here, but others were stymied over... Read more >
Shaker Heights perhaps is better known for its handsome residential districts than its commercial areas. However, a new pop-up event aims to highlight local businesses in the Van Aken District, invite a few new ones to participate, and offer a new kind of winter market where people can shop close to home.
Pop Up Shaker will bring a range of local food and craft purveyors into Juma Gallery and Lucy's Sweet Surrender for a two-week run beginning Saturday, November 30th ... Read more >
Pop Up Shaker will bring a range of local food and craft purveyors into Juma Gallery and Lucy's Sweet Surrender for a two-week run beginning Saturday, November 30th ... Read more >
Shaker Heights entrepreneur Kai Wingo recently launched the Buckeye Mushroom Farm on a vacant lot on E. 127th Street off Buckeye Road. Wingo is growing oyster and garden giant mushrooms on beds and racks there. She also teaches classes and sells mushrooms under the moniker Kai's Kultured Mushrooms at the Coit Road Farmers Market.
"I'm a mushroom ambassador," she says. "I want people to know about benefits we get from mushrooms. I'm the only one ... Read more >
"I'm a mushroom ambassador," she says. "I want people to know about benefits we get from mushrooms. I'm the only one ... Read more >
Predictably, Paul Benner and Justin Carson came up with their idea to launch a brewing incubator over a couple of strong pints at a local alehouse. Benner owns the Cleveland Brew Shop, a homebrew supply store in Tremont, and Carson runs JC Beertech, a company that installs and cleans draft beer lines.
Two weeks ago, JC Beertech moved its 40-person office from Medina to a renovated building in Ohio City. The company occupies the second floor of the Tomasch building at 4125... Read more >
Two weeks ago, JC Beertech moved its 40-person office from Medina to a renovated building in Ohio City. The company occupies the second floor of the Tomasch building at 4125... Read more >
Once ground zero for all things rock 'n' roll, Cleveland has steadily shed its reputation as King, and in the process squandered many of the economic benefits that go along with it. An effort by local advocates is attempting to change that by raising the industry’s profile and marketing it to a wider audience.
The new kid on the block on historic Larchmere Boulevard sells everything from vintage longhorn antlers and Tory Burch sandals to designer jeans and mid-century modern Herman Miller chairs. That's just how Eclectic Eccentric rolls, which is a perfect fit for a street that is nothing if not both of those things.
Long considered the East Side's premier antiques district, the street still contains remnants of that, but now also houses a yarn shop, bookstore, soul foo... Read more >
Long considered the East Side's premier antiques district, the street still contains remnants of that, but now also houses a yarn shop, bookstore, soul foo... Read more >
Among Tremont residents, it's a running joke that the area has almost as many dogs and cats as people. Now this pet-friendly neighborhood will gain another asset in the form of the Tremont Animal Clinic, which is set to open on W. 14th Street by the end of the year.
"We grew up in Cleveland, born and bred," says Katie McCoy, who is opening the clinic with fellow veterinarians Sara Tippins and Bob Litkovitz (known as "Dr. Bob" to all who frequent Ga... Read more >
"We grew up in Cleveland, born and bred," says Katie McCoy, who is opening the clinic with fellow veterinarians Sara Tippins and Bob Litkovitz (known as "Dr. Bob" to all who frequent Ga... Read more >
The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority has announced plans to launch the first-ever Cleveland-Europe express ocean freight service, an effort that is currently being finalized and will be cemented next month if the agency's levy passes, officials say.
Port Authority business is already strong, Executive Director Will Friedman said at a recent press conference, with last month's port traffic having exceeded pre-recession levels. The new service will enhance t... Read more >
Port Authority business is already strong, Executive Director Will Friedman said at a recent press conference, with last month's port traffic having exceeded pre-recession levels. The new service will enhance t... Read more >
“We’re shifting because the times are shifting,” says Grace Gallucci of NOACA, adding that the planning agency will shift its focus to multimodal transportation, developing a fix-it-first approach that prioritizes existing infrastructure over new road projects, and basing funding decisions on their regional economic development impact.
Phoenix Coffee, known for setting the standard for Cleveland coffee culture throughout the past two decades, recently moved into a airy new digs on Coventry Road. The roomy, contemporary storefront boasts large windows and a design that incorporates reclaimed materials.
Coffee Director Christopher Feran says that Phoenix's goal was to relocate from its unworkable space down the block to a storefront that it could completely customize, adding to the renaissance of loca... Read more >
Coffee Director Christopher Feran says that Phoenix's goal was to relocate from its unworkable space down the block to a storefront that it could completely customize, adding to the renaissance of loca... Read more >
The Enterprise Nurture an Idea Crowdrise Challenge offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to win $10,000 by competing to raise the most money online. Eleven innovative ideas in Cleveland are competing between now and November 8th for that big grand prize.
Ideas include a bike composting business in Gordon Square, an initiative to open retail startups in former shipping containers in downtown parking lots, a healthy corner store in Tremont, and a food cooperative distri... Read more >
Ideas include a bike composting business in Gordon Square, an initiative to open retail startups in former shipping containers in downtown parking lots, a healthy corner store in Tremont, and a food cooperative distri... Read more >
Earlier this year, Hotcards CEO John Gadd moved the local printing and marketing company's headquarters to the former Futon Factory at 2400 Superior Ave., expanding from 14,000 to 22,000 square feet and giving the company the opportunity to do a ground-up renovation of new offices.
"We were able to do it from scratch, the way that we wanted, in order to reflect the culture we're trying to build," says Gadd, who has injected new life into Hotcards since h... Read more >
"We were able to do it from scratch, the way that we wanted, in order to reflect the culture we're trying to build," says Gadd, who has injected new life into Hotcards since h... Read more >
A grassroots urban placemaking movement that started in Portland has made its way to Cleveland, and a few weeks ago, residents from three Cleveland neighborhoods came together to remove blight with community-led art.
City Repair, which started in Portland as a guerilla movement to add splashes of color to city streets, is so new here that the City of Cleveland denied a permit request at the last minute, forcing organizers to scramble to adapt their project. The original i... Read more >
City Repair, which started in Portland as a guerilla movement to add splashes of color to city streets, is so new here that the City of Cleveland denied a permit request at the last minute, forcing organizers to scramble to adapt their project. The original i... Read more >
It's no easy feat to win unanimous approval from the City of Cleveland's Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) for a variance to open a new bar in Ohio City. With parking scarce in the densely built neighborhood, such a prized variance typically is required for opening any kind of new establishment.
Yet Jukebox, a new bar set to open in the Hingetown area of that neighborhood early next year, earned that approval from BOZA this week, and owner Alex Budin is set to begin ... Read more >
Yet Jukebox, a new bar set to open in the Hingetown area of that neighborhood early next year, earned that approval from BOZA this week, and owner Alex Budin is set to begin ... Read more >
During much of its 100-year existence, the Metroparks has been a system of parks largely disconnected from the urban core. But that's beginning to change as the park rolls out its Emerald Necklace Centennial Plan, which will expand its footprint, strengthen connections between sites, and add a renewed focus on sustainability.
The City of Euclid recently completed Phase I of its ambitious Waterfront Improvements Plan, creating an expanded fishing pier, a new multi-purpose trail and an accessible switchback ramp to the lakefront.
Euclid Mayor Bill Cervenik says the $1.7 million project is part of a larger, $30 million push to expand Euclid's waterfront with a new, three-quarter mile beachfront and marina that he hopes will become a regional draw.
"We want to re-establish the hi... Read more >
Euclid Mayor Bill Cervenik says the $1.7 million project is part of a larger, $30 million push to expand Euclid's waterfront with a new, three-quarter mile beachfront and marina that he hopes will become a regional draw.
"We want to re-establish the hi... Read more >
A veteran urban developer has broken ground on a three-unit, single-family development on Columbus Road in the Flats. Phase I of the project is sold out, and the owner is planning three additional high-end, custom-built homes on an adjacent parcel.
David Sharkey of Progressive Urban Real Estate, who is both the sales agent and a developer of the Columbus Hill project, says the development is unlike anything else currently on the market. The homes mesh with the topography ... Read more >
David Sharkey of Progressive Urban Real Estate, who is both the sales agent and a developer of the Columbus Hill project, says the development is unlike anything else currently on the market. The homes mesh with the topography ... Read more >
Beaumont School recently broke ground on a $9.5 million addition that will include a STEM education building, student commons, administrative offices and new school entrance that fronts North Park Boulevard.
The 25,000-square-foot building will house eight science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classrooms that replace a dated science wing. The expanded labs will allow for more hands-on learning that can be integrated into the entire curriculum.
“A... Read more >
The 25,000-square-foot building will house eight science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classrooms that replace a dated science wing. The expanded labs will allow for more hands-on learning that can be integrated into the entire curriculum.
“A... Read more >
Creative reuse centers are popping up all across the nation, including Cleveland. These craft-astic places are filled with useful materials that otherwise would end up in a landfill. Adored by artists, teachers and other crafty folks, they also create green jobs, reduce waste and offer affordable supplies for projects.