The City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are preparing to break ground on two major roadway improvement projects in University Circle and surrounding neighborhoods that will improve vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle access to the area while making it safer and easier to navigate.
First, the City of Cleveland plans to break ground in the next few months on the rebuilding of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The scenic roadway wends its way 2.63 miles from University Circle through Rockefeller Park to the lakefront. The work includes repairing curbs, adding new ADA ramps, drainage improvements and new parking areas. The latter is the biggest change for those accessing the park by car, as there will finally be a (legal) place to park along MLK Drive.
Second, Cuyahoga County will start this fall on the reconfiguration of the much-maligned traffic circle at East 105th Street and MLK. The new intersection will be a traditional, four-way stoplight. The project will not only make the area safer for drivers, but will also enhance access for cyclists and pedestrians.
"This traffic circle has one of the highest rates of vehicular accidents in the region -- they're mostly fender benders, because people are just confused by it," says Chris Bongorno, Director of Planning with University Circle Incorporated (UCI). "The new configuration will definitely be more pedestrian and bike friendly, and will also help to connect people to Rockefeller Park and University Circle."
The reconfiguration of the traffic circle will create sidewalks on both sides of the street and better connect the Harrison Dillard bikeway to University Circle. A new boardwalk will be constructed on land freed up by the project, and pedestrians and cyclists will be able to cross the intersection at one, signalized location.
The City of Cleveland has scheduled a public meeting to discuss the MLK rebuild project on Tuesday, April 3rd at 5:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. branch of the Cleveland Public Library (1962 Stokes Blvd.). City officials will be on hand to discuss the project timeline and specifics and to answer questions.
Bongorno says the two projects are evidence of University Circle's commitment to enhancing access to the area's cultural amenities for all users. He also says University Circle employees are biking to work in greater numbers with each passing year, and these types of improvements will better serve them.
Source: Chris Bongorno
Writer: Lee Chilcote
First, the City of Cleveland plans to break ground in the next few months on the rebuilding of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The scenic roadway wends its way 2.63 miles from University Circle through Rockefeller Park to the lakefront. The work includes repairing curbs, adding new ADA ramps, drainage improvements and new parking areas. The latter is the biggest change for those accessing the park by car, as there will finally be a (legal) place to park along MLK Drive.
Second, Cuyahoga County will start this fall on the reconfiguration of the much-maligned traffic circle at East 105th Street and MLK. The new intersection will be a traditional, four-way stoplight. The project will not only make the area safer for drivers, but will also enhance access for cyclists and pedestrians.
"This traffic circle has one of the highest rates of vehicular accidents in the region -- they're mostly fender benders, because people are just confused by it," says Chris Bongorno, Director of Planning with University Circle Incorporated (UCI). "The new configuration will definitely be more pedestrian and bike friendly, and will also help to connect people to Rockefeller Park and University Circle."
The reconfiguration of the traffic circle will create sidewalks on both sides of the street and better connect the Harrison Dillard bikeway to University Circle. A new boardwalk will be constructed on land freed up by the project, and pedestrians and cyclists will be able to cross the intersection at one, signalized location.
The City of Cleveland has scheduled a public meeting to discuss the MLK rebuild project on Tuesday, April 3rd at 5:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. branch of the Cleveland Public Library (1962 Stokes Blvd.). City officials will be on hand to discuss the project timeline and specifics and to answer questions.
Bongorno says the two projects are evidence of University Circle's commitment to enhancing access to the area's cultural amenities for all users. He also says University Circle employees are biking to work in greater numbers with each passing year, and these types of improvements will better serve them.
Source: Chris Bongorno
Writer: Lee Chilcote
It was exciting enough for Ruk and Leela, Butanese refugees who settled in Cleveland a few years ago without knowing a soul, to press their garage opener and watch the door magically lift open. So imagine their surprise and joy when they found a shiny new tricycle also waiting inside for their toddler son.
Thanks to the Cuyahoga Land Bank's Discover Home program, a new partnership with the International Services Center, this immigrant couple will soon become proud homeowners. The Land Bank partnered with the ISC to renovate a three bedroom home on Hopkins Ave. in Lakewood and sign a lease-purchase agreement with this young family.
"We're helping to repopulate the city with immigrants, and they're contributing to the neighborhood, just as my relatives did when they came here from Greece," says Gus Frangos, President of the Land Bank. "We have such a surplus of vacant properties that we need to collaborate with everyone that we can."
The yellow, cottage-like house feels like "some kind" of home, adds Ruk Rai. He now works at ParkOhio and his wife works at Mold Masters. The couple spent 18 years in a refugee camp after they were forced from their country following a violent revolution because of their Nepali ancestry. They eventually won the immigrant "lottery" and became one of 40,000-75,000 refugees who are allowed into the U.S. each year. They resettled in Cleveland because of the ISC.
"The program came out of a need," says Karen Wishner, Executive Director of the ISC. "It was a way to solve two problems -- vacant properties and people in need of housing."
The house, which was previously bank owned, was renovated using a $20,000 grant from Fannie Mae. An additional $20,000 was invested by the ISC, and donations and sweat equity from the new owners covered the rest. The Land Bank and ISC hope to renovate 5-7 more dwellings like this by the end of the year.
The Land Bank is also pioneering additional partnerships, including efforts to work with veterans' groups and disability organizations. "The nonprofits bring the capacity and possibly the funding, and we have the properties," says Frangos.
Source: Gus Frangos, Rook, Karen Wishner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Thanks to the Cuyahoga Land Bank's Discover Home program, a new partnership with the International Services Center, this immigrant couple will soon become proud homeowners. The Land Bank partnered with the ISC to renovate a three bedroom home on Hopkins Ave. in Lakewood and sign a lease-purchase agreement with this young family.
"We're helping to repopulate the city with immigrants, and they're contributing to the neighborhood, just as my relatives did when they came here from Greece," says Gus Frangos, President of the Land Bank. "We have such a surplus of vacant properties that we need to collaborate with everyone that we can."
The yellow, cottage-like house feels like "some kind" of home, adds Ruk Rai. He now works at ParkOhio and his wife works at Mold Masters. The couple spent 18 years in a refugee camp after they were forced from their country following a violent revolution because of their Nepali ancestry. They eventually won the immigrant "lottery" and became one of 40,000-75,000 refugees who are allowed into the U.S. each year. They resettled in Cleveland because of the ISC.
"The program came out of a need," says Karen Wishner, Executive Director of the ISC. "It was a way to solve two problems -- vacant properties and people in need of housing."
The house, which was previously bank owned, was renovated using a $20,000 grant from Fannie Mae. An additional $20,000 was invested by the ISC, and donations and sweat equity from the new owners covered the rest. The Land Bank and ISC hope to renovate 5-7 more dwellings like this by the end of the year.
The Land Bank is also pioneering additional partnerships, including efforts to work with veterans' groups and disability organizations. "The nonprofits bring the capacity and possibly the funding, and we have the properties," says Frangos.
Source: Gus Frangos, Rook, Karen Wishner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Many teachers and graduates of Cleveland School of the Arts, the acclaimed, arts-focused school that sits at the edge of University Circle, have been patiently waiting for more than 30 years for a new school.
"We've had a makeshift arts school for 30 years," says Christine Bluso, Executive Director of Friends of Cleveland School of the Arts. The historic school building was built atop the culverted Doan Brook and does not have a cafeteria or facilities suitable to teaching the arts. "Now they're building us a real arts school. This is part of a premier arts specialty system that's being put into place in the district, and our goal is to write the curriculum to create a conservatory-level 9th-12th grade school."
The demolition of the former Cleveland School of the Arts began earlier this month. Current CSA students are housed at another district school until the new campus is ready. Bluso says that the district plans to break ground on the new, state-of-the-art school in June and open it to students in August 2014. The green-built facility will feature an outdoor plaza and new interior spaces such as art galleries and music rooms that are specially built for arts classes.
"Each arts program will have an area of the building," says Bluso. "We plan to serve 775 students in grades 6-12, and our goal is to be very competitive district-wide. We want students from all over the city to apply."
Bluso says the new school is part of a renewed emphasis on arts education that is flourishing under CEO Eric Gordon. "He's really made arts education a priority," she says. "This is a critical component of the Transformation Plan."
Friends of CSA raises $650-750,000 to support arts programs at the school each year. Bluso says that arts-based education teaches students to think creatively and keeps them motivated in school. CSA has a high graduation rate and many of its students go on to graduate from college and pursue careers in the arts.
Source: Christine Bluso
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We've had a makeshift arts school for 30 years," says Christine Bluso, Executive Director of Friends of Cleveland School of the Arts. The historic school building was built atop the culverted Doan Brook and does not have a cafeteria or facilities suitable to teaching the arts. "Now they're building us a real arts school. This is part of a premier arts specialty system that's being put into place in the district, and our goal is to write the curriculum to create a conservatory-level 9th-12th grade school."
The demolition of the former Cleveland School of the Arts began earlier this month. Current CSA students are housed at another district school until the new campus is ready. Bluso says that the district plans to break ground on the new, state-of-the-art school in June and open it to students in August 2014. The green-built facility will feature an outdoor plaza and new interior spaces such as art galleries and music rooms that are specially built for arts classes.
"Each arts program will have an area of the building," says Bluso. "We plan to serve 775 students in grades 6-12, and our goal is to be very competitive district-wide. We want students from all over the city to apply."
Bluso says the new school is part of a renewed emphasis on arts education that is flourishing under CEO Eric Gordon. "He's really made arts education a priority," she says. "This is a critical component of the Transformation Plan."
Friends of CSA raises $650-750,000 to support arts programs at the school each year. Bluso says that arts-based education teaches students to think creatively and keeps them motivated in school. CSA has a high graduation rate and many of its students go on to graduate from college and pursue careers in the arts.
Source: Christine Bluso
Writer: Lee Chilcote
To conduct an authentic test of what it's like to be a tourist in Cleveland, Positively Cleveland recently sent several Northeast Ohioans on all-expenses-paid trips to parts of the city with which they were unfamiliar. The outcomes of this "mystery shopper" test were revealing, if not exactly surprising: Safety, wayfinding signage and public transportation ranked among participants' top concerns.
Lexi Hotchkiss, Communications Manager with Positively Cleveland, says the "Tourist for a Day" effort was part of a larger, regional initiative to make Cleveland a more visitor-friendly destination. The "Destination Cleveland" project has been launched by Positively Cleveland and other civic-minded partners in anticipation of $2 billion in tourism-related development that is currently being invested in downtown Cleveland.
"Our new President and CEO, David Gilbert, started the process when he joined the organization," explains Hotchkiss. "We knew it was time to look at Cleveland in a different way, and really examine how we look, act and feel as a destination."
In November, Positively Cleveland held a summit with over 200 community ambassadors, ranging from government officials to hotel managers. This unprecedented, collaborative effort to take Cleveland's tourism economy to the next level resulted in 11 focus areas. Top government officials also signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to work together on this effort.
In a few days, tourism leaders are set to unveil and begin implementing a new, five year plan to improve Cleveland as a travel destination. Positively Cleveland and its partners are holding the Destination Cleveland Travel and Tourism Outcomes Launch on Tuesday, March 27th from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at the House of Blues. The event is free and open to the public.
"Tourism is the fourth largest private sector economy in Ohio," says Hotchkiss. "One of the things we really want to do is engage locals as ambassadors of our city."
Source: Lexi Hotchkiss
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Lexi Hotchkiss, Communications Manager with Positively Cleveland, says the "Tourist for a Day" effort was part of a larger, regional initiative to make Cleveland a more visitor-friendly destination. The "Destination Cleveland" project has been launched by Positively Cleveland and other civic-minded partners in anticipation of $2 billion in tourism-related development that is currently being invested in downtown Cleveland.
"Our new President and CEO, David Gilbert, started the process when he joined the organization," explains Hotchkiss. "We knew it was time to look at Cleveland in a different way, and really examine how we look, act and feel as a destination."
In November, Positively Cleveland held a summit with over 200 community ambassadors, ranging from government officials to hotel managers. This unprecedented, collaborative effort to take Cleveland's tourism economy to the next level resulted in 11 focus areas. Top government officials also signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to work together on this effort.
In a few days, tourism leaders are set to unveil and begin implementing a new, five year plan to improve Cleveland as a travel destination. Positively Cleveland and its partners are holding the Destination Cleveland Travel and Tourism Outcomes Launch on Tuesday, March 27th from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at the House of Blues. The event is free and open to the public.
"Tourism is the fourth largest private sector economy in Ohio," says Hotchkiss. "One of the things we really want to do is engage locals as ambassadors of our city."
Source: Lexi Hotchkiss
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Against a backdrop of vacant, foreclosed homes and empty lots, U.S. Representatives Steve LaTourette and Marcia Fudge this week unveiled the bipartisan Restore Our Neighborhoods Act of 2012. The new legislation seeks to provide $4 billion to states and land banks to issue 30-year demolition bonds to demolish vacant, blighted homes across the country.
"This country needs to come to the realization that sometimes you just need to tear it down and start over," LaTourette told an audience of city leaders and community development professionals outside of a vacant home on E. 69th Street in Slavic Village. LaTourette stressed that the foreclosure crisis is not just an urban problem; it affects the Lake County communities he represents, too. "Vacant homes drag down property values and can lead to crime."
Congresswoman Marcia Fudge noted that more than 40 percent of the homes on E. 69th Street off Union Avenue were either vacant or foreclosed. A block away, a woman was recently dragged into a vacant property and raped.
Currently, only 10 percent of funds from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) can be used for demolition. The bill would change that by allowing greater flexibility in how NSP funds can be used. It would also provide more than $40 million in Qualified Urban Demolition Bonds to every state, with additional funding flowing to states like Ohio that are considered "hardest hit" by the foreclosure crisis. Any unused allocation would be redistributed by the Secretary of the Treasury after two years to "qualified" states (including Ohio).
Fudge and LaTourette stressed that the legislation would be budget neutral, as there are at least two possible offsets under consideration for the $4 billion cost.
City and county leaders said the legislation is not only about removing blight, but also clearing the way for future redevelopment of neighborhoods. "We want to see a city that's thriving and bustling," said Gus Frangos, President of the Cuyahoga Land Bank. "This is about creating a new vision for our neighborhoods."
Although more than 6,000 vacant homes in Cleveland have been demolished in the past five to seven years, there are still more than 12,000 condemned or blighted homes throughout the city. Throughout Cuyahoga County, there are estimated to be 25,000 to 30,000 blighted or condemned properties in need of demolition.
"This is a $250-million problem," said Frangos. "That number is much greater than we can handle, no matter how strategic we are with our resources."
Source: Steve LaTourette, Marcia Fudge, Gus Frangos
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"This country needs to come to the realization that sometimes you just need to tear it down and start over," LaTourette told an audience of city leaders and community development professionals outside of a vacant home on E. 69th Street in Slavic Village. LaTourette stressed that the foreclosure crisis is not just an urban problem; it affects the Lake County communities he represents, too. "Vacant homes drag down property values and can lead to crime."
Congresswoman Marcia Fudge noted that more than 40 percent of the homes on E. 69th Street off Union Avenue were either vacant or foreclosed. A block away, a woman was recently dragged into a vacant property and raped.
Currently, only 10 percent of funds from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) can be used for demolition. The bill would change that by allowing greater flexibility in how NSP funds can be used. It would also provide more than $40 million in Qualified Urban Demolition Bonds to every state, with additional funding flowing to states like Ohio that are considered "hardest hit" by the foreclosure crisis. Any unused allocation would be redistributed by the Secretary of the Treasury after two years to "qualified" states (including Ohio).
Fudge and LaTourette stressed that the legislation would be budget neutral, as there are at least two possible offsets under consideration for the $4 billion cost.
City and county leaders said the legislation is not only about removing blight, but also clearing the way for future redevelopment of neighborhoods. "We want to see a city that's thriving and bustling," said Gus Frangos, President of the Cuyahoga Land Bank. "This is about creating a new vision for our neighborhoods."
Although more than 6,000 vacant homes in Cleveland have been demolished in the past five to seven years, there are still more than 12,000 condemned or blighted homes throughout the city. Throughout Cuyahoga County, there are estimated to be 25,000 to 30,000 blighted or condemned properties in need of demolition.
"This is a $250-million problem," said Frangos. "That number is much greater than we can handle, no matter how strategic we are with our resources."
Source: Steve LaTourette, Marcia Fudge, Gus Frangos
Writer: Lee Chilcote
A newly unveiled school facilities plan in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District (CH-UH) has the potential to blend historic preservation and neighborhood schools with cutting edge, 21st century learning environments, school leaders say.
The plan calls for eliminating several schools, tearing down 70s-era additions to older, historic buildings that will be preserved, and creating new interiors and additions to facilitate a technology-oriented, interest-based curriculum. Additionally, Wiley Middle School will be torn down and rebuilt.
The plan also retains neighborhood-based schools that are highly valued by the community. It calls for converting several primary schools to K-3rd grade buildings and converting three middle schools to 4th-8th grade buildings.
School leaders arrived at the new plan after presenting an earlier plan that was harshly received at community meetings. The earlier plan called for closing a larger number of buildings and effectively eliminating neighborhood schools. It would have created several large K-8 campuses in addition to the high school.
To gain additional input, CH-UH school leaders will host a series of community meetings at elementary schools in the coming weeks. Then the final plan is expected to be rolled out at a meeting at the high school on April 18th.
“As we move forward in the master facilities planning process, we want to assure our community that we are hearing and respecting all of the input we are receiving,” said Superintendent Doug Heuer in a news release. Heuer also noted that the plan is not yet final and additional refinements can still be made.
Source: Doug Heuer, CH-UH School District
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The plan calls for eliminating several schools, tearing down 70s-era additions to older, historic buildings that will be preserved, and creating new interiors and additions to facilitate a technology-oriented, interest-based curriculum. Additionally, Wiley Middle School will be torn down and rebuilt.
The plan also retains neighborhood-based schools that are highly valued by the community. It calls for converting several primary schools to K-3rd grade buildings and converting three middle schools to 4th-8th grade buildings.
School leaders arrived at the new plan after presenting an earlier plan that was harshly received at community meetings. The earlier plan called for closing a larger number of buildings and effectively eliminating neighborhood schools. It would have created several large K-8 campuses in addition to the high school.
To gain additional input, CH-UH school leaders will host a series of community meetings at elementary schools in the coming weeks. Then the final plan is expected to be rolled out at a meeting at the high school on April 18th.
“As we move forward in the master facilities planning process, we want to assure our community that we are hearing and respecting all of the input we are receiving,” said Superintendent Doug Heuer in a news release. Heuer also noted that the plan is not yet final and additional refinements can still be made.
Source: Doug Heuer, CH-UH School District
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Thanks to roadway improvements and striking new signage, University Circle is becoming easier to navigate all the time. Yet it's a grim joke among cyclists that navigating the spaghetti intersection at Stokes, Martin Luther King Jr. and Cedar is akin to taking your life into your hands.
This issue affects more than a small, insignificant sliver of the population: According to City of Cleveland Bike Planner Marty Cader, the number of bike commuters continues to rise each year. In fact, he says, the parking garages at the Cleveland Clinic are filled with bikes these days, many of which originate from points further east.
The City of Cleveland recently broke ground on a new trail which is expected to ease this life-threatening commute. The so-called Lake to Lakes Trail consists of a new 10-foot-wide trail and improved intersections that should be complete by the end of summer. The trail will better connect the Harrison Dillard Bikeway in Rockefeller Park with the bike paths at Shaker Lakes in Shaker Heights.
The project overcame huge design challenges by funneling bike traffic through existing public land in University Circle. The City of Cleveland is reconstructing several traffic islands and adding ADA ramps and pedestrian signals to help make road crossings safer. The trail will meander through the hidden gem of Rudy Rogers Park, where Doan Brook flows into a culvert before emerging in Rockefeller Park, and then head up Fairhill Boulevard into the Heights.
The project is being funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The trail also adds another leg to the city's Bikeway Master Plan, which is beginning to form vital connections between city neighborhoods. With the help of the Lake to Lakes Trail, cyclists will be able to easily and safely bike from Shaker Heights to downtown Cleveland along Euclid Ave., or out to the lakefront.
Source: Marty Cader
Writer: Lee Chilcote
This issue affects more than a small, insignificant sliver of the population: According to City of Cleveland Bike Planner Marty Cader, the number of bike commuters continues to rise each year. In fact, he says, the parking garages at the Cleveland Clinic are filled with bikes these days, many of which originate from points further east.
The City of Cleveland recently broke ground on a new trail which is expected to ease this life-threatening commute. The so-called Lake to Lakes Trail consists of a new 10-foot-wide trail and improved intersections that should be complete by the end of summer. The trail will better connect the Harrison Dillard Bikeway in Rockefeller Park with the bike paths at Shaker Lakes in Shaker Heights.
The project overcame huge design challenges by funneling bike traffic through existing public land in University Circle. The City of Cleveland is reconstructing several traffic islands and adding ADA ramps and pedestrian signals to help make road crossings safer. The trail will meander through the hidden gem of Rudy Rogers Park, where Doan Brook flows into a culvert before emerging in Rockefeller Park, and then head up Fairhill Boulevard into the Heights.
The project is being funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The trail also adds another leg to the city's Bikeway Master Plan, which is beginning to form vital connections between city neighborhoods. With the help of the Lake to Lakes Trail, cyclists will be able to easily and safely bike from Shaker Heights to downtown Cleveland along Euclid Ave., or out to the lakefront.
Source: Marty Cader
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Garfield Heights historically has been known as the "City of Homes," yet Mayor Vic Collova wants to update that quaint image. The time is right to attract new businesses and development, he says, and the city's infrastructure, proximity to highways and business-friendly approach make it competitive.
"We haven't had a lot of new businesses moving here, and we're really trying to change our mindset," he says. "What we're doing is aggressive for Garfield Heights, but not for other areas that are more business-minded."
Like many inner ring suburbs that have a flat or declining residential tax base, Garfield Heights is now trying to diversify its tax rolls by attracting new economic development. The city has cause to celebrate a major victory this month, as the rapidly growing ebook and audio book distributor Overdrive recently broke ground on a new, $10 million world headquarters. The facility will immediate employ nearly 200 people, and could eventually employ up to 300 people.
Collova says former Governor Ted Strickland's administration was instrumental in keeping Overdrive in Ohio (the current facility is located in Valley View), and a package of incentives that included a 10-year, 100-percent tax abatement helped lure the firm to Garfield Heights. The Ohio Department of Development also provided a $200,000 grant to build a new road to service the facility.
In a competitive economic landscape in which cities and states are, for better or worse, bidding against one another to land new development projects, Collova says Garfield Heights "offered a package to meet Overdrive's needs." He adds that Economic Development Director Noreen Kupan "did a great job negotiating."
Yet Collova says regardless of incentives, the location near I-480 is becoming "one of the most sought after locations in the city" because it offers great highway access and more than 180,000 cars per day drive through the area.
The location once was home to Nestaway, a company that closed years ago and left behind a vacant building. When Overdrive moves into its new headquarters later this year, it will be one of the largest employers in the City of Garfield Heights.
Source: Vic Collova
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We haven't had a lot of new businesses moving here, and we're really trying to change our mindset," he says. "What we're doing is aggressive for Garfield Heights, but not for other areas that are more business-minded."
Like many inner ring suburbs that have a flat or declining residential tax base, Garfield Heights is now trying to diversify its tax rolls by attracting new economic development. The city has cause to celebrate a major victory this month, as the rapidly growing ebook and audio book distributor Overdrive recently broke ground on a new, $10 million world headquarters. The facility will immediate employ nearly 200 people, and could eventually employ up to 300 people.
Collova says former Governor Ted Strickland's administration was instrumental in keeping Overdrive in Ohio (the current facility is located in Valley View), and a package of incentives that included a 10-year, 100-percent tax abatement helped lure the firm to Garfield Heights. The Ohio Department of Development also provided a $200,000 grant to build a new road to service the facility.
In a competitive economic landscape in which cities and states are, for better or worse, bidding against one another to land new development projects, Collova says Garfield Heights "offered a package to meet Overdrive's needs." He adds that Economic Development Director Noreen Kupan "did a great job negotiating."
Yet Collova says regardless of incentives, the location near I-480 is becoming "one of the most sought after locations in the city" because it offers great highway access and more than 180,000 cars per day drive through the area.
The location once was home to Nestaway, a company that closed years ago and left behind a vacant building. When Overdrive moves into its new headquarters later this year, it will be one of the largest employers in the City of Garfield Heights.
Source: Vic Collova
Writer: Lee Chilcote
When Kelly Kandah walked to her job each morning at ABC News in Manhattan, she found herself gaping at the long lines outside of trendy cupcake shops like Crumbs and Magnolia Bakery.
It wasn't because she was hungry -- Kandah simply has cupcakes in her blood. Baking is a family tradition, and her mom has been baking cakes featuring Grandma Kandah's "famous" frosting recipe for years for family friends.
So, when the 25-year-old Kandah moved back to her hometown, it was natural for her to start baking with her mom again. She quickly realized that she'd found her life's calling -- baking delicious, king-sized cupcakes. Yet, within a few short months of taking orders, her four KitchenAid mixers weren't enough to get the job done.
Following the tried-and-true path of many successful entrepreneurs, Kandah decided to move the business she launched out of her house into a retail storefront. Her new shop, called Colossal Cupcakes, is set to open this Friday, March 16th -- just in time for an onslaught of hungry downtown visitors on St. Patty's Day.
"I wanted to bring Clevelanders the same thing I saw in New York -- an actual specialty cupcake store, always stocked with a large variety of cupcakes, that never closes early or sells out," says Kandah. "I thought, why not Cleveland?"
Colossal Cupcakes will offer generous-sized cupcakes -- twice as big as ones you'd find at a typical bakery, Kandah promises -- for $3.75. Visitors will have 40-plus varieties to choose from, including the Colossal Classic, a milk chocolate cupcake that has raspberry filling and is topped with almond butter cream frosting. Guilt-inducing drinks such as Red Velvet Hot Cocoa will also be available.
Other offerings include coffee, tea, cupcake shakes made out of homemade vanilla ice cream and cream cheese whipped cream to top off your steaming cup of hot chocolate. Looking for a low-cal option? Try the tasty vegan cupcakes.
Kandah built out her retail storefront at 530 Euclid Avenue to feature a French cottage-style theme. It also features reclaimed wood countertops.
Colossal Cupcakes will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday until 9 p.m.
Source: Kelly Kandah
Writer: Lee Chilcote
It wasn't because she was hungry -- Kandah simply has cupcakes in her blood. Baking is a family tradition, and her mom has been baking cakes featuring Grandma Kandah's "famous" frosting recipe for years for family friends.
So, when the 25-year-old Kandah moved back to her hometown, it was natural for her to start baking with her mom again. She quickly realized that she'd found her life's calling -- baking delicious, king-sized cupcakes. Yet, within a few short months of taking orders, her four KitchenAid mixers weren't enough to get the job done.
Following the tried-and-true path of many successful entrepreneurs, Kandah decided to move the business she launched out of her house into a retail storefront. Her new shop, called Colossal Cupcakes, is set to open this Friday, March 16th -- just in time for an onslaught of hungry downtown visitors on St. Patty's Day.
"I wanted to bring Clevelanders the same thing I saw in New York -- an actual specialty cupcake store, always stocked with a large variety of cupcakes, that never closes early or sells out," says Kandah. "I thought, why not Cleveland?"
Colossal Cupcakes will offer generous-sized cupcakes -- twice as big as ones you'd find at a typical bakery, Kandah promises -- for $3.75. Visitors will have 40-plus varieties to choose from, including the Colossal Classic, a milk chocolate cupcake that has raspberry filling and is topped with almond butter cream frosting. Guilt-inducing drinks such as Red Velvet Hot Cocoa will also be available.
Other offerings include coffee, tea, cupcake shakes made out of homemade vanilla ice cream and cream cheese whipped cream to top off your steaming cup of hot chocolate. Looking for a low-cal option? Try the tasty vegan cupcakes.
Kandah built out her retail storefront at 530 Euclid Avenue to feature a French cottage-style theme. It also features reclaimed wood countertops.
Colossal Cupcakes will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday until 9 p.m.
Source: Kelly Kandah
Writer: Lee Chilcote
A new business in South Euclid aims to take advantage of Cleveland's growing reputation as a healthcare leader while also capitalizing on rising consumer interest in alternative medicine. The Heights Wellness Center, which is located at Cedar and Warrensville roads, employs chiropractors, herbalists, acupuncturists, Reiki healers and yoga instructors to create customized wellness programs for its customers.
Founder Sandy Lawrence points to the fact that the Center is located in a former internist's office as a sign of the changing times. Although she gutted the interior of the building during the custom build-out, she was able to reuse patient rooms for massage.
"Holistic medicine and wellness are in a growth spurt," Lawrence says. "This is something to help, not replace, traditional medicine."
The Center aims to create a wellness-focused community in the Heights area, a part of Cleveland's east side that is already rich in healthcare amenities. Lawrence, who previously ran her husband's medical practice for more than two decades, chose the Heights because of its rich diversity and interest in wellness.
Lawrence describes the Center's intake process as one that seeks to build a comprehensive program to help patients become well. The RN on staff can refer patients to doctors and hospitals for issues requiring medical attention.
The Center's practitioners believe that alternative and traditional forms of medicine can complement and aid one another. For instance, alternative medicine can help patients to heal after a traumatic event, and it can also keep patients from getting sick in the first place. The Center's ultimate goal is to empower clients to seek true health through nurturing their mind, body, spirit and emotions.
As insurance companies have become more accepting of alternative medicine, clients can often submit for reimbursement to their healthcare providers, too.
Source: Sandy Lawrence
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Founder Sandy Lawrence points to the fact that the Center is located in a former internist's office as a sign of the changing times. Although she gutted the interior of the building during the custom build-out, she was able to reuse patient rooms for massage.
"Holistic medicine and wellness are in a growth spurt," Lawrence says. "This is something to help, not replace, traditional medicine."
The Center aims to create a wellness-focused community in the Heights area, a part of Cleveland's east side that is already rich in healthcare amenities. Lawrence, who previously ran her husband's medical practice for more than two decades, chose the Heights because of its rich diversity and interest in wellness.
Lawrence describes the Center's intake process as one that seeks to build a comprehensive program to help patients become well. The RN on staff can refer patients to doctors and hospitals for issues requiring medical attention.
The Center's practitioners believe that alternative and traditional forms of medicine can complement and aid one another. For instance, alternative medicine can help patients to heal after a traumatic event, and it can also keep patients from getting sick in the first place. The Center's ultimate goal is to empower clients to seek true health through nurturing their mind, body, spirit and emotions.
As insurance companies have become more accepting of alternative medicine, clients can often submit for reimbursement to their healthcare providers, too.
Source: Sandy Lawrence
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Cleveland State University (CSU) recently relocated its Department of Theatre and Dance to the Middough Building at PlayhouseSquare, a critical step in creating a multidisciplinary Arts Campus in the heart of Cleveland's growing theater district.
"The university's master plan is to move the majority of CSU's arts programs into PlayhouseSquare," says Joe Mosbrook, Director of Strategic Communications with CSU. "Our theatre majors will take classes 20 feet from the Allen Theatre. They'll build sets in the building, and then perform in one of the top college venues in the country. We're excited to be a part of one of Cleveland's largest arts centers."
Mosbrook says CSU is the only undergraduate theatre program in the country where students have the opportunity to work alongside a professional theatre company. CSU has formed an ongoing partnership with Cleveland Play House, and its productions are being staged in the new Allen Theatre complex.
CSU now occupies approximately 160,000 square feet on the second and fifth floors of the Middough Building. The refurbished space includes art studios, rehearsal space, photography studios, costume design studios and other facilities. CSU's Fine Arts programs also are now housed in the Middough Building.
In September, CSU plans to open an art gallery in the Cowell and Hubbard building on Euclid Avenue. The gallery will showcase student work, traveling shows, and work by alumni and faculty. The location was chosen to capitalize on PlayhouseSquare's foot traffic while adding to the revitalization of the area.
Over the long term, CSU also plans to move its digital and broadcast media programs, including its student radio station, into the Ideastream building. "There's a symbiotic relationship that occurs when students and professors work together with professionals in their field," says Mosbrook.
Source: Joe Mosbrook
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"The university's master plan is to move the majority of CSU's arts programs into PlayhouseSquare," says Joe Mosbrook, Director of Strategic Communications with CSU. "Our theatre majors will take classes 20 feet from the Allen Theatre. They'll build sets in the building, and then perform in one of the top college venues in the country. We're excited to be a part of one of Cleveland's largest arts centers."
Mosbrook says CSU is the only undergraduate theatre program in the country where students have the opportunity to work alongside a professional theatre company. CSU has formed an ongoing partnership with Cleveland Play House, and its productions are being staged in the new Allen Theatre complex.
CSU now occupies approximately 160,000 square feet on the second and fifth floors of the Middough Building. The refurbished space includes art studios, rehearsal space, photography studios, costume design studios and other facilities. CSU's Fine Arts programs also are now housed in the Middough Building.
In September, CSU plans to open an art gallery in the Cowell and Hubbard building on Euclid Avenue. The gallery will showcase student work, traveling shows, and work by alumni and faculty. The location was chosen to capitalize on PlayhouseSquare's foot traffic while adding to the revitalization of the area.
Over the long term, CSU also plans to move its digital and broadcast media programs, including its student radio station, into the Ideastream building. "There's a symbiotic relationship that occurs when students and professors work together with professionals in their field," says Mosbrook.
Source: Joe Mosbrook
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium, a major public initiative to help move Northeast Ohio towards a more sustainable, resilient future, will launch a public engagement process in the next few months. Young professionals are among the first constituencies being targeted in this effort to create a sustainability plan for the region.
"We're looking at how we are using land through the lens of sustainability," explains Jeff Anderle, Communications and Engagement Manager for the NEOSCC, which received a $4.25 million grant from the Obama administration's Partnership for Sustainable Communities initiative and launched in January 2011. "We want to make Northeast Ohio more resilient to change, help our governments to be more collaborative and provide the tools for communities to engage in more sustainable planning."
The NEOSCC has five different work study areas: economic development, environment, communities, connections, and quality, connected places. Consortium members include city governments, planning agencies and other public entities throughout the 12-county planning area. According to Anderle, NEOSCC's members are working together because they realize it is in their self-interest to help ensure that the region's resources are used more sustainably.
"We're starting to see collaboration happening in government because resources are getting tight, and moving forward, we believe collaboration will become essential," he says. "People are waking up and coming to the table."
Over the next few months, the NEOSCC will publish an existing conditions report and begin public engagement. "We're partnering with the Civic Commons," says Anderle. "We want to empower people to become a part of the process."
Source: Jeff Anderle
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We're looking at how we are using land through the lens of sustainability," explains Jeff Anderle, Communications and Engagement Manager for the NEOSCC, which received a $4.25 million grant from the Obama administration's Partnership for Sustainable Communities initiative and launched in January 2011. "We want to make Northeast Ohio more resilient to change, help our governments to be more collaborative and provide the tools for communities to engage in more sustainable planning."
The NEOSCC has five different work study areas: economic development, environment, communities, connections, and quality, connected places. Consortium members include city governments, planning agencies and other public entities throughout the 12-county planning area. According to Anderle, NEOSCC's members are working together because they realize it is in their self-interest to help ensure that the region's resources are used more sustainably.
"We're starting to see collaboration happening in government because resources are getting tight, and moving forward, we believe collaboration will become essential," he says. "People are waking up and coming to the table."
Over the next few months, the NEOSCC will publish an existing conditions report and begin public engagement. "We're partnering with the Civic Commons," says Anderle. "We want to empower people to become a part of the process."
Source: Jeff Anderle
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Cleveland-based Tremco Inc. recently earned the sustainable-construction industry's equivalent of an Oscar: LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ) Gold certification. The coveted prize, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council, recognizes Tremco's outstanding performance in the 2010 renovation of its 40-year-old, 46,000-square-foot headquarters on (appropriately enough) Green Road.
Cindy Cicigoi, Tremco’s vice president of sustainable initiatives and facilities, acknowledges that traditional construction methods -- or simply relocating -- would have been less expensive. But Tremco never viewed the project so narrowly. “We did this, number one, because it's the right thing to do,” Cicigoi says. Tremco specializes in the development of high-performance, low-impact buildings.
But it was also the smart thing to do. After “buttoning up the exterior” of the building, as Cicigoi puts it, Tremco used about 55 percent less natural gas over the past year compared to the average of the previous three years. Solar panels and a wind turbine helped cut the electric bill by about 24 percent.
And the rehab project itself met its zero-landfill goal. Nearly all of the two million pounds of demolition debris was reused; for example, gravel from the old roof became the base for the new sidewalks. Blinds, plumping fixtures and other reusable items were donated to Habitat for Humanity. What couldn't be reused or recycled was burned for energy. Tremco even recycled materials from the I-90 resurfacing project to resurface its own parking lot after installing an underground cistern to store rainwater runoff.
That water is then used in Cicigoi's favorite part of the building upgrade: the vegetated roof. In addition to being “gorgeous” in the summer, the roof is home to 40-plus species of native Ohio plants --16,000 in all -- including herbs that are used in the cafeteria.
The result of all this effort, Cicigoi notes, is a “showcase” for what Tremco, and other companies owned by parent RPM International, can do.
According to the USGBC web site, “LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.”
Source: Cindy Cicigoi
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Cindy Cicigoi, Tremco’s vice president of sustainable initiatives and facilities, acknowledges that traditional construction methods -- or simply relocating -- would have been less expensive. But Tremco never viewed the project so narrowly. “We did this, number one, because it's the right thing to do,” Cicigoi says. Tremco specializes in the development of high-performance, low-impact buildings.
But it was also the smart thing to do. After “buttoning up the exterior” of the building, as Cicigoi puts it, Tremco used about 55 percent less natural gas over the past year compared to the average of the previous three years. Solar panels and a wind turbine helped cut the electric bill by about 24 percent.
And the rehab project itself met its zero-landfill goal. Nearly all of the two million pounds of demolition debris was reused; for example, gravel from the old roof became the base for the new sidewalks. Blinds, plumping fixtures and other reusable items were donated to Habitat for Humanity. What couldn't be reused or recycled was burned for energy. Tremco even recycled materials from the I-90 resurfacing project to resurface its own parking lot after installing an underground cistern to store rainwater runoff.
That water is then used in Cicigoi's favorite part of the building upgrade: the vegetated roof. In addition to being “gorgeous” in the summer, the roof is home to 40-plus species of native Ohio plants --16,000 in all -- including herbs that are used in the cafeteria.
The result of all this effort, Cicigoi notes, is a “showcase” for what Tremco, and other companies owned by parent RPM International, can do.
According to the USGBC web site, “LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.”
Source: Cindy Cicigoi
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
Metheny Weir, a home remodeling business which was originally launched out of a Shaker Heights basement, recently expanded to a spacious storefront on Larchmere. The growth spurt is the result of the company inking last year a deal to become Cleveland's only licensed retailer of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, a hot new product that's generating a buzz in the interior design world.
Metheny Weir co-owner Sue Weir says that the innovative product allows home remodelers to paint furniture and other surfaces without cleaning, sanding or priming -- you just put your brush in the can and start painting.
"Our customers like it because they don't have to move their armoire out of the living room to paint it," says Weir, who co-founded the company with her friend, Kim Metheny. "It's not a big production to change the look of their furniture."
Chalk Paint is low in volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and considered green. Weir says that she recently sold $700 of the new product in a single week.
The paint has also attracted new business for Metheny Weir, which specializes in custom painted finishes and has become known for stylish makeovers of older homes and furniture. "We're redoing a kitchen for someone that fell in love with the Annie Sloan product but didn't want to do the work herself," says Weir.
Weir and Metheny are hosting workshops out of their Larchmere storefront to educate homeowners on how to use the paint. The uptick in interest in home remodeling is partially due to the stalled housing market, Weir says, a trend that has spurred many homeowners to reinvest in their homes and furnishings.
In the next several months, Weir and Metheny will also travel to Chicago and New Orleans to meet Sloan in person and to participate in product demonstrations.
Source: Sue Weir
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Metheny Weir co-owner Sue Weir says that the innovative product allows home remodelers to paint furniture and other surfaces without cleaning, sanding or priming -- you just put your brush in the can and start painting.
"Our customers like it because they don't have to move their armoire out of the living room to paint it," says Weir, who co-founded the company with her friend, Kim Metheny. "It's not a big production to change the look of their furniture."
Chalk Paint is low in volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and considered green. Weir says that she recently sold $700 of the new product in a single week.
The paint has also attracted new business for Metheny Weir, which specializes in custom painted finishes and has become known for stylish makeovers of older homes and furniture. "We're redoing a kitchen for someone that fell in love with the Annie Sloan product but didn't want to do the work herself," says Weir.
Weir and Metheny are hosting workshops out of their Larchmere storefront to educate homeowners on how to use the paint. The uptick in interest in home remodeling is partially due to the stalled housing market, Weir says, a trend that has spurred many homeowners to reinvest in their homes and furnishings.
In the next several months, Weir and Metheny will also travel to Chicago and New Orleans to meet Sloan in person and to participate in product demonstrations.
Source: Sue Weir
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Tremont West Development Corporation has launched a new Storefront Incubator program that aims to help pop-up shops and startup businesses grow into permanent, bricks-and-mortar retailers, ideally right in the heart of historic Tremont.
Through a competitive process, Tremont West will select a fledgling retailer to occupy the 370-square-foot storefront it owns at 2406 Professor. The retailer will be offered three months of free rent as a sweetener. After the nine month lease term, the startup may renew for an additional three months, yet the goal is to help that business establish a permanent space elsewhere in the neighborhood.
"We've used our storefront successfully for pop-up shops, so this is really for someone of that quality who wants a longer-term run to see if their business is actually viable," says Cory Riordan, Executive Director of Tremont West.
As part of the lease agreement, Tremont West plans to work with the startup to help them grow their business. The nonprofit will links entrepreneurs with available financing, vacant space and other businesses in the community.
The long-term goal is not to compete with existing property owners, but to support new types of businesses, says Riordan. He cites service-oriented businesses as one gap within the neighborhood's retail mix.
Riordan says that supporting small startup retailers is one positive way forward for neighborhoods that are slowly emerging from the recession. "We can help create niche businesses that lead to neighborhood recovery."
Responses to the Storefront Incubator RFP are due by Friday, March 16th.
Source: Cory Riordan
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Through a competitive process, Tremont West will select a fledgling retailer to occupy the 370-square-foot storefront it owns at 2406 Professor. The retailer will be offered three months of free rent as a sweetener. After the nine month lease term, the startup may renew for an additional three months, yet the goal is to help that business establish a permanent space elsewhere in the neighborhood.
"We've used our storefront successfully for pop-up shops, so this is really for someone of that quality who wants a longer-term run to see if their business is actually viable," says Cory Riordan, Executive Director of Tremont West.
As part of the lease agreement, Tremont West plans to work with the startup to help them grow their business. The nonprofit will links entrepreneurs with available financing, vacant space and other businesses in the community.
The long-term goal is not to compete with existing property owners, but to support new types of businesses, says Riordan. He cites service-oriented businesses as one gap within the neighborhood's retail mix.
Riordan says that supporting small startup retailers is one positive way forward for neighborhoods that are slowly emerging from the recession. "We can help create niche businesses that lead to neighborhood recovery."
Responses to the Storefront Incubator RFP are due by Friday, March 16th.
Source: Cory Riordan
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Business leaders who say that the resurgence of manufacturing is helping to lead Northeast Ohio out of the recession will find cause for optimism in Hedalloy Die Corporation. The tool and die maker in Cleveland's Slavic Village neighborhood is currently doubling the size of its 3,500-square-foot production facility to accommodate increased demand.
“We are seeing a shift back to U.S. manufactured products,” said Joe Susa, Hedalloy’s General Manager, in a release. “Customers are paying more attention to quality rather than bottom line prices. American made tools are getting noticed for their higher quality and longer life span. ”
Hedalloy has doubled its sales since 2009 and hired additional employees. Its expansion on E. 49th Street is expected to be complete next month.
In an era of global competition, Hedalloy’s ability to deliver its products in half the time of some of its competitors has also helped to boost sales. The company has clients in the automotive, military, medical, and aerospace industries.
Established in 1947, Hedalloy has been at its Slavic Village location since the early 1950s. The company had considered relocating to the eastern suburbs to expand. Support from Slavic Village Development and Councilwoman Phyllis Cleveland, as well as a zoning permit granted by Cleveland, aided its decision to stay.
Hedalloy is a family-owned company. John Susa, Sr. began working at the company in 1960 and bought the firm in 1991. In addition to his son Joe, Mr. Susa‘s wife Eleanor is the bookkeeper and his son John, Jr. is the Vice President.
Source: Joe Susa
Writer: Lee Chilcote
“We are seeing a shift back to U.S. manufactured products,” said Joe Susa, Hedalloy’s General Manager, in a release. “Customers are paying more attention to quality rather than bottom line prices. American made tools are getting noticed for their higher quality and longer life span. ”
Hedalloy has doubled its sales since 2009 and hired additional employees. Its expansion on E. 49th Street is expected to be complete next month.
In an era of global competition, Hedalloy’s ability to deliver its products in half the time of some of its competitors has also helped to boost sales. The company has clients in the automotive, military, medical, and aerospace industries.
Established in 1947, Hedalloy has been at its Slavic Village location since the early 1950s. The company had considered relocating to the eastern suburbs to expand. Support from Slavic Village Development and Councilwoman Phyllis Cleveland, as well as a zoning permit granted by Cleveland, aided its decision to stay.
Hedalloy is a family-owned company. John Susa, Sr. began working at the company in 1960 and bought the firm in 1991. In addition to his son Joe, Mr. Susa‘s wife Eleanor is the bookkeeper and his son John, Jr. is the Vice President.
Source: Joe Susa
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Mahalls 20 Lanes, a vintage Lakewood bowling alley that's been owned by the same family since it was built in 1924, is being fixed up by new owners. Joe Pavlick and Kelly Flamos are renovating the historic venue, which features two 10-lane bowling alleys, a billiard room, several bars and a kitchen, and also plan to add live music.
"We're still working out the specifics of our plan, but we want to restore Mahalls to its former glory," says Pavlick, a former corporate attorney who bought the building with Flamos, his sister-in-law, and other family members. "Essentially, this is one big family turning it over to another big family, 80 years later."
John Mahall was the first owner of Mahalls, which was originally two buildings and featured an upstairs dance hall. In the 1950s, he annexed the adjacent building and turned into a billiards hall. Until a few months ago, Mahalls was owned by John's son Arthur Mahall and managed by John's grandson Tom Mahall.
Although Mahalls struggled financially for several years before Pavlick and Flamos bought it, the new owners say they'll add fresh appeal to the venue by revamping the menu and adding live music. They hardly plan to touch the historic, vintage character of the interior, however. Unlike newer bowling alleys, Mahalls still requires scoring by hand and is noticeably devoid of overhead televisions.
In another nod to tradition, Pavlick and his wife Emily plan to move into the upstairs apartment -- just as three generations of Mahalls did before them.
Source: Joe Pavlick
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We're still working out the specifics of our plan, but we want to restore Mahalls to its former glory," says Pavlick, a former corporate attorney who bought the building with Flamos, his sister-in-law, and other family members. "Essentially, this is one big family turning it over to another big family, 80 years later."
John Mahall was the first owner of Mahalls, which was originally two buildings and featured an upstairs dance hall. In the 1950s, he annexed the adjacent building and turned into a billiards hall. Until a few months ago, Mahalls was owned by John's son Arthur Mahall and managed by John's grandson Tom Mahall.
Although Mahalls struggled financially for several years before Pavlick and Flamos bought it, the new owners say they'll add fresh appeal to the venue by revamping the menu and adding live music. They hardly plan to touch the historic, vintage character of the interior, however. Unlike newer bowling alleys, Mahalls still requires scoring by hand and is noticeably devoid of overhead televisions.
In another nod to tradition, Pavlick and his wife Emily plan to move into the upstairs apartment -- just as three generations of Mahalls did before them.
Source: Joe Pavlick
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Two years ago, cyclist Mike Hulett traded legal briefs and billable hours for bike stands and Allen wrenches when he opened the Broadway Cyclery, a utility-focused bike shop in downtown Bedford.
Recently, he purchased the historic Marshall Building and moved his business into a larger, renovated storefront. He's slowly restoring the structure, originally built to house a drugstore and boasting Terrazzo floors and 15-foot ceilings, to its original beauty.
Hulett says that his business is unique because he carries niche products that aren't available at other shops. "We're a Brooks Dealer of Excellence; we sell leather bike seats from a company that's been around since 1866," he says. "When you see people riding around the country, usually they have a Brooks seat."
The Broadway Cyclery also carries a wide assortment of cargo, touring and commuter bikes, kickstands and bags for the practical, commuting cyclist.
Hulett chose downtown Bedford because of its unique, local businesses and central location near highways and bike trails. "We're right by the Bedford Metroparks," he says. "From here, you can bike to Chagrin Falls, Rocky River or Akron. All trails intersect in the area and that makes it a fantastic resource for cyclists."
Source: Mike Hulett
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Recently, he purchased the historic Marshall Building and moved his business into a larger, renovated storefront. He's slowly restoring the structure, originally built to house a drugstore and boasting Terrazzo floors and 15-foot ceilings, to its original beauty.
Hulett says that his business is unique because he carries niche products that aren't available at other shops. "We're a Brooks Dealer of Excellence; we sell leather bike seats from a company that's been around since 1866," he says. "When you see people riding around the country, usually they have a Brooks seat."
The Broadway Cyclery also carries a wide assortment of cargo, touring and commuter bikes, kickstands and bags for the practical, commuting cyclist.
Hulett chose downtown Bedford because of its unique, local businesses and central location near highways and bike trails. "We're right by the Bedford Metroparks," he says. "From here, you can bike to Chagrin Falls, Rocky River or Akron. All trails intersect in the area and that makes it a fantastic resource for cyclists."
Source: Mike Hulett
Writer: Lee Chilcote