From cable TV shows to busy downtown streets, food trucks are all the rage these days. Yet short of firing up a Winnebago or launching a fleet of food trucks, owners' growth plans are limited by size. "It's such a small space, everything has to be done more frequently," complains Jae Stulock of Umami Moto, which dishes out Asian fusion cuisine to hungry lunch crowds and late night revelers everywhere.

Stulock's solution? First, he found an unused kitchen in the Agora Theatre that could be used for all-important prep work. Once that was secured, he decided to launch a restaurant to complement his fast-moving food truck business.

"It was the right place, the right time, and the right people," says Stulock of his decision. "Opening a restaurant had always been part of the plan, and when the Agora space became available, that moved the plan up a couple of years."

Last month, Agora Theatre owner Hank LoConti donated the complex to the nonprofit MidTown Cleveland Inc. and developer Fred Geis. The partners plan to complete a multimillion dollar makeover of the property that includes preserving the concert hall. MidTown Cleveland officials envision the Agora as the centerpiece of a mixed-use district that serves the growing Health-Tech Corridor. Leaders here are completing a study of the E. 55th and Euclid intersection and hope to spur additional office, retail and apartment development in the area.

Stulock says his restaurant should help. "We're planning to call it the Hipp because we want to draw on nostalgia for the Hippodrome in Cleveland," he says. "It will feature the same Asian-themed food as our truck, but will also introduce other international flavors paired with contemporary American cuisine."

The Hipp, which is slated to open in early February, will initially be open for lunch and happy hour; dinner will be added down the road. At least five more food trucks are set to hit Cleveland streets this spring, and Stulock hopes the synergy between Umami Moto and the Hipp will also help him to stand out from a crowded field.


Source: Jae Stulock
Writer: Lee Chilcote

What's the cumulative impact of Cleveland's 200-plus community gardens, 20-plus farmers markets and 60-odd acres of urban land that have been tilled and planted for a future harvest?

That's an as yet unanswered question, says the City of Cleveland's new Sustainability Chief, but one she hopes to glean serious answers to in the coming year. Billed "The Year of Local Food" by Sustainable Cleveland 2019, a grassroots, city-led movement to employ sustainability as an engine to grow the regional economy, 2012 is going to be a momentous year.

"Local food is exciting because it combines entrepreneurship and environmental benefits with making connections in the local community," says Jenita McGowan, who last week succeeded Andrew Watterson as the city's Sustainability Chief. "We're really hoping to better connect Cleveland residents with local food, since many people still don't know what is available and how to access it."

Other plans for 2012 include increasing the number of urban farmers in the city, tying into the West Side Market's centennial celebrations this fall, and garnering commitments from large institutions to buy more food locally.

"The Year of Local Food allows all local groups to co-market their work," says McGowan. "That helps them to tie into a larger movement."

Sustainable Cleveland 2019 will host a kick-off event for the Year of Local Food this Friday, Jan. 20th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside.


Source: Jenita McGowan
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Contractor Matt Berges loves it when he hears that home energy prices are going up. Nope, he doesn't own stock in utilities -- he just knows that ever-rising heating and cooling costs will jolt the market for making homes more energy-efficient.

Berges earns his living by retrofitting older homes and building new homes to ultra-green standards. He's banking on the fact that rising energy costs will make construction of innovative passive homes like the SmartHome at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History more attractive to consumers.

This winter, Berges has had an opportunity to put some of his green dreams into practice. The owners of an historic home on Devonshire Road in Cleveland Heights tore it down to build a new, passive home that doesn't require a furnace. Although Berges, like many others, was sad to see the old house go, he says in some cases there are no cost-effective ways to make older homes energy-efficient.

"Green retrofits and passive home construction are happening all over the country, and they will make more sense as the housing market begins to come back," he says. "We're kind of pioneers in this area."

Interested in checking out the second Northeast Ohio home to seek passive house certification? You can tour it this Saturday, Jan. 14th at 2 pm. The tour is free, but the group is limited to 40 people and advance registration is required. Berges, the owners and architect will be on hand to discuss the project and answer questions.

For more information or to register for the event, email info@neogreenbuilding.org.


Source: Matt Berges
Writer: Lee Chilcote

PlayhouseSquare's latest string of successes may be a tough act to follow, but a Cleveland real estate developer is willing to try. A newly-consummated deal to convert a prominent office building into 102 apartments will fuel the growth of this arts-rich neighborhood, which in recent years has also welcomed two major theater renovations and new restaurants.

K&D Group, the largest privately-held owner of apartments in Northeast Ohio, has inked a deal with the nonprofit PlayhouseSquare to buy the Hanna Building Annex, which is located at the corner of Prospect Avenue and E. 14th Street. The developer plans to convert it into 1- and 2-bedroom, 600 to 1,200-square-foot apartments that will lease from $725 to $1,500 per month.

PlayhouseSquare plans to relocate existing tenants into the Hanna Building next door. The deal includes leasing back ground-level retail space to PlayhouseSquare. The nonprofit development corporation hopes to fill the space with much-needed amenities such as a dry cleaner, wine shop, small market or pharmacy -- in short, the kinds of services that serve a residential neighborhood.

Art Falco, CEO of PlayhouseSquare, says the project is critical to the future of the neighborhood. “This will allow us to continue to brand PlayhouseSquare as not only an entertainment area but also a residential neighborhood," he says.


Source: Art Falco
Writer: Lee Chilcote

A public hearing by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the City of Cleveland's permit application for a proposed waste-to-energy plant drew a large crowd to Estabrook Recreation Center on Monday night. Despite the city's promises that the new plant will effectively turn trash into treasure -- in the form of synthetic gas that can be used to create electricity -- many attendees said that environmental concerns and scant communication have left them with a long list of concerns.

"Why have there been a lack of community meetings around this issue?" asked Jeff Ramsey, Executive Director of the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, citing only two community meetings held last year. "I don't consider a two-week comment period to be community engagement."

Other attendees expressed concerns about the plant's technology, which is relatively new and has not yet been used in the U.S. "Gasification has been touted as a clean technology, but it is not," said Stuart Greenberg, Executive Director of the nonprofit Environmental Health Watch. "If the City of Cleveland is the first to try this untested technology, then shouldn't there be more controls on it?"

Ward 14 City Councilman Brian Cummins stated his objections based upon concerns about pollution affecting low-income and minority constituents. "Pollution has affected our community for over 150 years," he said. "We want to move forward, not backward, and we're concerned about lead and mercury."

The City of Cleveland has stated that the Cleveland Recycling and Energy Generation (CREG) Center will create up to 100 new jobs, reduce the city's costs of hauling waste to out-of-county landfills, facilitate citywide recycling efforts, reduce environmental pollution and provide a safe, greener method of creating energy. The city also deems the CREG Center as a means of reaching its sustainability goals and Advanced Energy Portfolio Standard goal.

Following the hearing and comment period, the Ohio EPA will rule on the city's application for a permit. The city has not yet said how it plans to finance the gasification plant, which is expected to cost as much as $200 million.


Source: Jeff Ramsey, Brian Cummins, Stuart Greenberg
Writer: Lee Chilcote

At the end of last year, Indian-born entrepreneur Radhika Reddy launched Ariel International Center, a one-stop shop for international business development in Northeast Ohio. Located in the former Leff Electric Company building on E. 40th Street, the 100-year-old warehouse with solid brickwork and rough-hewn wooden beams is being refurbished to support this decidedly 21st century venture.

“We offer shared international services for companies that want to locate here and do business globally, and we also help local companies with global potential,” says Reddy, who arrived in Cleveland 21 years ago with little more than a visa and $20 in her pocket, yet has since adopted Northeast Ohio as her home.

The successful businesswoman is one of three women behind Ariel Ventures, an economic development finance firm with $1.5 million in annual sales. Reddy says she wants to grow Cleveland's economy by helping businesses to gain global reach.

“We want to help them with business growth and act as their back office,” she says. “Services that we offer include accounting and finance, international business development, tax advising and export and import documentation.”

Ariel International Center, whose new, four-story home has large windows offering views of downtown and Lake Erie, will also host a fourth floor event space that is geared towards Cleveland’s immigrant community. Once renovations are complete, Reddy also hopes to land an international-themed restaurant that will become a destination spot for the downtown lunch crowd.

“Entrepreneurs like me are always thinking of what’s not there,” she says.

The project received support from the City of Cleveland’s Vacant Properties Initiative as well as a low-interest economic development loan from the city. Reddy says that it is approximately 50 percent self-financed by Ariel’s partners. The 100 percent women-owned firm will move its offices here by February 1st.


Source: Radhika Reddy
Writer: Lee Chilcote

To tap into demand for affordable yet professional office space from local start-up businesses, two local entrepreneurs have kicked off 2012 by opening a new shared workspace, Cowork CLE, in a decommissioned Ohio City firehouse.

“Meeting clients at Starbucks can get old; we offer a more professional setting,” says Emmett McDermott, who has partnered with Graham Veysey of North Water Partners, a video production company, to launch the 1,000-square-foot space on W. 29th Street. McDermott also owns 12five9, a web development firm.

Their pitch goes something like this: Are you a solo entrepreneur? Are you tired of working from home or fighting for an outlet at your local coffeehouse? Renting a desk at Cowork CLE can be as little as $250 per month. There's an airy, light-filled room with refinished hardwood floors, high-speed wireless, live Twitter feed on a flat-screen TV, conference room and even a private phone booth.

McDermott and Veysey visited similar coworking spaces in other cities, including Chicago, before they decided to launch Cowork CLE. “This is something that’s become popular in bigger cities,” says McDermott. “We chose Ohio City because it is an artisan neighborhood. We believe our clients are creative, independent artisans who are yearning for a collaborative environment."

The owners of Cowork CLE hope that the space will function as a kind of entrepreneurial incubator. By developing relationships in a shared work environment, their customers will be able to share useful information, help each other grow and eventually even refer business to one another, they say.

“We’re hoping people will make connections,” says McDermott.
Veysey, who owns the firehouse building, has also leased space to Rising Star Coffee Roasters, which will open Cleveland’s first “brewbar.” Rising Star will offer bags of beans for sale and also brew coffee by the cup. This will offer entrepreneurs here the best of both worlds -- a functional work environment and a downstairs coffee shop where they can easily get their caffeine fix.

Cowork CLE is located at 1455 W. 29th Street.


Sources: Emmett McDermott, Graham Veysey
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Completing the last five-mile leg of the Towpath Trail into Cleveland might be taking longer than it took to dig the entire Ohio and Erie Canal, whose 100-plus mile span was carved out by hand in just two years in the 1820s. Yet thanks to a recent $500,000 grant from the State of Ohio, the trail is inching ever closer to its final destination -- Settlers Landing Park in the Flats.

The grant from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission, along with $3 million that was received earlier this year from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, will allow trail backers to break ground next year on an important .6-mile stretch along Scranton Road. More than 80 miles already have been completed; the last five miles into Cleveland is considered the home stretch for this decades-long project.

The funds will be used to build a 10-foot-wide paved trail along Scranton from Carter Road south to University Road in the Flats. The trail will be isolated for now, until it is eventually connected with the section of the Towpath that runs through the Steelyard Commons shopping center. A portion of the funding will also be used to restore fish habitat along the edge of the Cuyahoga River.

“This grant, and the construction work to come, represents another step forward in fully connecting this important regional resource to downtown Cleveland,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald in a statement. “This will mean a more attractive riverfront and a cleaner environment. This is good news for Cuyahoga County.”

Towpath planners predict the last trail sections, which must wend their way through formerly industrial land in the Flats, will proceed in three more stages. The portion from Steelyard to Literary Avenue in Tremont could start in 2015.


Source: Cuyahoga County Office of the Executive
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Despite its long-suffering reputation, Cleveland's real estate market seems just fine to Kosta Almiroudis, an entrepreneur who moved last year from New York City to Lakewood to revive dilapidated old apartment buildings for fun and profit. In the past year, he has bought, renovated and fully leased more than 50 once-vacant units.

"I come from a village in Greece that has a 1,300-year-old castle," says Almiroudis, whose wife's family also lives in the Cleveland area. "So I love acquiring these 100-year-old buildings and bringing them back to life."

The first project that Almiroudis tackled is a 45-unit apartment building situated on Detroit Avenue across from the former Phantasy Concert Club. When he first began visiting his wife's family in Cleveland, he was surprised to learn how affordable real estate prices were. "I sold a single-family home in Greece and had a down payment for a 45-unit apartment building," he says with a laugh.

Since then, he has bought and fixed up another 12-unit building and signed a contract for an additional 11-unit building next door. All of his properties are 100-percent leased. He says the key to being a successful landlord is purchasing distressed properties for no more than 60 percent of their current value, investing up to 85 percent of their post-rehab value and overseeing the work yourself.

Even so, getting a loan was no walk in the park. Lenders are still skittish because they're carrying bad loans from investors who got in over their heads during the boom years. Still, the only way out of the current housing mess and the surfeit of vacant, multi-family buildings is through lending to good investors, he says.

"I don't see many people doing what I'm doing now, most likely because the banks are not releasing funds for these kinds of projects," he says. "They have the money. The only way to put this neighborhood back together is with banks releasing funds. Private investors want to put money back into real estate."

Almouridis, who was weaned on interior renovation projects for the likes of Donald Trump while starting out in New  York, isn't holding his breath for an avalanche of easy money, however. Instead, he's partnering with a private investor who sees apartments as a safe bet at a time of low homeownership, high apartment occupancy and wild, tough-to-fathom stock market swings. Together, the pair intend to purchase and rehabilitate additional apartments in Lakewood.

The value-laden properties are plentiful, he says, in part because the professional children of Lakewood's middle-class landlords seem to want nothing to do with rentals. "I think maybe it skips a generation," he says with another laugh.


Source: Kosta Almouridis
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Mike Kubinski is positively full of holiday cheer. The co-founder of CLE Clothing Company, known for its funky, Cleveland-themed T-shirts and other apparel, just quit his day job and opened a new store at E. 4th and Euclid in downtown Cleveland. Since the venue opened just in time for Black Friday, it's been flush with visitors.

Kubinski's new apparel shop also is a big, fat present to Cleveland. Bearing the catchy slogan "Spreading Cleveland pride one T-shirt at a time," CLE Clothing has brought a fresh, new concept into retail-starved downtown Cleveland.

"Ari [Maron] really didn't want another restaurant; he wanted retail," says Kubinski, who hurried together the store concept after being recruited earlier this year by Maron, a principal of developer MRN Ltd. "It was a good fit because we offer something cool, positive and different from what's already there."

The downtown CLE Clothing outlet actually is the company's second store; the first, called Native Cleveland, is located on Waterloo in North Collinwood.

"We built our business online first, but then we had an overwhelming response when we did pop-up stores," says Kubinski. "We opened Native Cleveland as a test, and then Ari Maron approached us about a store on E. 4th Street."

The new store is located adjacent to Positively Cleveland, the travel and tourism agency for Northeast Ohio. A passageway allows visitors to travel between the two locations.

"We sort of act as the gift shop for people visiting downtown Cleveland," says Kubinski. "It's a cool relationship that's just beginning."


Source: Mike Kubinski
Writer: Lee Chilcote

When Ohio Department of Transportation  (ODOT) officials recently asked business leaders from across the state to rank their region's planned infrastructure projects by importance, the Greater Cleveland Partnership ranked the West Shoreway project as the number one priority for Northeast Ohio.

For City of Cleveland Planning Director Bob Brown, that's one more reason why ODOT's numbers don't add up. The state agency gave the city zero out of ten points in the "economic development" category on its recent application for $28 million in additional funding to complete Phase II of the project.

"States all across the country are beginning to think differently, and they're realizing that projects like this can actually improve their economic competitiveness," Brown said at a recent community meeting to discuss the project. The 10-year-old plan would transform the underutilized, 50s-style freeway into a landscaped boulevard with bicycle and pedestrian pathways. It would also offer residents and visitors improved access to Lake Erie.

As evidence of economic impact, city officials cited Battery Park, a new home development that has attracted 70 new residents, many of whom bought homes because they believed the West Shoreway project would come to fruition. Phase I of the Shoreway project is underway, and includes the redevelopment of two pedestrian and bicycle tunnels and a new interchange at West 73rd Street.

Residents who attended the meeting also questioned ODOT's cost estimates, which have ballooned from $50 million in 2003 to $100 million today.

"ODOT doesn't have enough controls against contractors coming back for more," Ken Silliman, Chief of Staff for Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, told the audience. "We believe their contracts are too contractor-friendly. That's why we're trying to convince ODOT to give us the funding and let us manage the project locally."

Cycling advocates who attended the meeting also questioned the city's commitment to bike and pedestrian access, suggesting that Cleveland hasn't fought hard enough to fund the project's multi-modal pathway.

Adopting a mantra of "Keep the promise, finish the job," City officials vowed to press on with the project. They are planning a caravan trip to Columbus on December 15th for a crucial ODOT meeting where funding decisions occur.

Source: Ken Silliman, Bob Brown
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The City of Cleveland, Neighborhood Progress Inc. (NPI) and ParkWorks recently launched ReImagining Cleveland II, a $1 million push to fund sideyard expansions, vacant lot beautification, and market gardens in Cleveland. They hope the program will improve vacant land, enhance local communities and further green the city.

"In a city like Cleveland, rebuilding the housing market really means taking down bad houses and reclaiming vacant land," says Bobbi Reichtell, Senior Program Officer with NPI. "We're focusing the sideyard expansions in areas where there are already a number of other things happening, such as Model Block programs and the Opportunity Homes rehab program, so that we can get a real impact."

Reichtell anticipates two-thirds of the funding will go to yard expansions, while one-third will go to stabilization projects like market gardens, wildflower gardens and vineyards. Over 50 applicants have already applied for sideyard expansions, while 16 stabilization sites have been identified. Funding will be used to clean, grade and fence properties before they are transferred to their new owners.

Reichtell also stressed that the city has a formal application process, and that it retains sites with critical short-term development potential. Owners with code violations or tax delinquencies cannot be accepted into the program. Applicants must also invest some of their funds to acquire a lot or create a project.

Lilah Zautner, Sustainability Manager with NPI, says the reaction to the program differs radically depending upon the individual and where they live. "Some view sideyard expansion as the suburbanization of the city, while others view it as homesteading -- they're adding gardens, pools, gazebos and more."

Since the program launched, there's been no shortage of applicants. "We've had an overwhelming response so far, but we are still accepting applications," she says.


Source: Bobbi Reichtell, Lilah Zautner
Writer: Lee Chilcote

It only takes 10 minutes to walk from St. Vincent Hospital at E. 22nd Street and Community College Avenue to Cleveland State University on Euclid Avenue. Yet few people do it, in part because it is not a pedestrian-friendly experience. A new $4.2 million plan to redevelop E. 22nd aims to change that by creating a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly boulevard and green space that could spur over $100 million in new development.

"We really see E. 22nd Street as a spine for the Campus District neighborhood," says Rockette Richardson, Executive Director of the Campus District, Inc., a nonprofit community development organization. "We developed this plan because we recognized the need for a north-south gateway to our neighborhood."

The plan re-envisions the street as a multi-modal boulevard with bike lanes, landscaped median and new retail, housing and green space development. Fresh opportunities may exist on land that will become available when the ODOT completes the Innerbelt Bridge project. The plan already has $780,000 of committed funding since ODOT is using the street as an alternate highway route and therefore must resurface it in 2013.

"The investment that is taking place by our anchor institutions -- Cleveland State University, St. Vincent and Cuyahoga Community College -- will strengthen their individual campuses and the entire area," says Richardson. She noted that St. Vincent Charity Medical Center is in the midst of a 10-year, $100 million renovation project and Tri-C recently spent $34 million on improvements.

The East 22nd Street plan is part of a larger effort to reconnect these institutions to their communities, Richardson added. "They're deeply rooted here, and they're investing in their campuses and adjoining neighborhoods so they all prosper."


Source: Rockette Richardson
Writer: Lee Chilcote

A handful of U.S. cities have torn down or busted through the '60s-era highway walls that separate their neighborhoods from adjacent waterways. Despite critics' fears that such people-friendly projects will cause calamitous traffic delays, they often reap major economic, social and environmental benefits while adding only a few minutes to the average commute.

Cleveland's version of such a wall is the West Shoreway -- a homely, 2.5-mile stretch of concrete that is designed to move cars in and out of the city, but blocks residents' access to Lake Erie. Until recently, it appeared likely that Cleveland would find a way to bust through this wall. The long-planned West Shoreway project would "transform a 2.5 mile freeway into a scenic, tree-lined boulevard," according to a description on the Ohio Department of Transportation website.

Yet a series of cost overruns, the state's budget crunch and a philosophical shift at ODOT have thrown the very future of the project into question. State officials gave low scores to the city's recent request for additional funding, arguing that reducing the speed limit from 50 to 35 miles per hour would downgrade a functional roadway. Cleveland officials responded by accusing ODOT of trying to kill the project, which has been in the works for more than a decade.

As a December 15th meeting, where funding decisions will occur, looms ahead, cycling advocates, neighborhood residents and public officials are mounting a frontal assault on ODOT to shore up their commitment to the project.

"It's not true that we can't slow cars down -- the George Washington Parkway in D.C. is a major commuter road with bike lanes and crosswalks, and it works well," says Kevin Cronin, a board member of Cleveland Bikes, a nonprofit group rallying to preserve the bike-friendly project. "We need to make sure that this project moves forward, and that it includes bike and pedestrian lanes."

In an effort to get the project back on track, city officials and neighborhood advocates will host a public meeting with ODOT officials on Thursday, December 1st at 6 p.m. at Franklin Circle Church, 1688 Fulton Avenue in Ohio City.


Source: Kevin Cronin
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Residents of Lyndhurst typically live 24 years longer than residents of the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland, according to a recent analysis by the Cuyahoga County Place Matters Team. This health disparity is why the group, in collaboration with the Saint Luke's Foundation, has launched a speaker series at the City Club of Cleveland focused on creating healthier communities in Cuyahoga County.

"It shouldn't matter how much money you have, your community should still be thriving," says Sandy Chappelle, Senior Program Officer with the Saint Luke's Foundation and a leader of the Place Matters initiative. "Quality housing, safe streets and other factors all go into whether a community is healthy or not."

This past Tuesday, the Place Matters team hosted a City Club event with Ron Sims, former U.S. Department of Housing and Development Deputy Secretary, who spoke about how land use planning can impact public health outcomes.

The long-term goal of the Place Matters initiative, says Chappelle, is not to drive prescriptive policies, but rather to infuse knowledge of healthy communities into the larger, public policy decisions that are made at the regional level.

"One example of unhealthy planning is that many new schools are built so that kids have to take the bus, which contributes to lack of physical activity and obesity," says Chappelle. "Yet now we're becoming increasingly aware that all sectors must work together to tackle health outcomes. People are also more aware that this is directly connected to our region's economic viability."


Source: Sandy Chappelle
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The City of Cleveland Heights has released a Request for Development Proposals (RDFP) that it hopes will lure new office space, jobs and tax revenue to the inner ring suburb. The city is asking for development ideas for a 39,000-square-foot parcel at Lee and Meadowbrook roads in the heart of the Cedar-Lee commercial district. Responses are due in January.

Given that two high-end condo projects proposed here in the mid-2000's never came to fruition, the city evidently is hoping the third time's the charm. After the demise of these projects, the city land-banked the site, tearing up the asphalt parking lot and planting grass.

Yet Howard Thompson, the city's Director of Economic Development, says there is reason for optimism in the city's new approach, which is more broadly focused on economic development rather than pinpointing for-sale housing.

"I see the growth happening in University Circle, and I want to tap into that," he says. "There are healthcare and technology professionals living in Cleveland Heights, and my goal is to drive business development opportunities here."

Although this streetcar suburb is isolated from highways, Thompson says it enjoys many locational advantages, including its walkable, urban streetscape and amenity-rich environment. "Areas like MidTown are still at the beginning stages, yet here you have 27 different restaurants directly around you," he says.

The city also owns a 377-space parking garage directly behind the project site, 82 spaces of which are dedicated towards whatever building is ultimately developed.

As for public-private partnerships, Thompson says that the City of Cleveland Heights is ready to provide assistance if it is needed. "We're asking developers to spell out in their proposals what kinds of assistance they'd be asking for."


Source: Howard Thompson
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Valerie Mayen of Yellowcake, a fashion designer who became the poster child for Cleveland's nascent design industry after she appeared on Project Runway, will launch a nonprofit sewing studio to push the city's young talent into the spotlight.

The new loft studio, which is called Buzz and Growl, intends to offer work space, professional equipment, coaching and classes to young artists and entrepreneurs. It is located at 1400 East 30th Street in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood. Mayen is raising funds and plans to open the space sometime next year.

"I see a lot of artists that are making products here, but they're not saleable yet," says Mayen. "This is about helping them to hone and polish what they have, so they can become reputable businesses and sustain themselves in Cleveland."

Mayen says that Buzz and Growl already has a waiting list for new members. So far, she has raised $11,000 towards the costs of renovating the studio, and has invested some of her own resources as well. Mayen and her cohorts now hope to raise an additional $15,000 to purchase equipment and open the doors.

"This is the hard part, the frustrating search for money," says Mayen, who will serve as the Executive Director of Buzz and Growl. "Yet we've been able to attract grassroots support because people know this is about creating jobs."

To that end, Mayen is hosting an invitation-only "friendraiser" at Buzz and Growl's new studio on December 8th. Despite the challenging hunt for grant dollars, she is confident that the city will support this fledgling effort.

This year, Mayen hired several new employees for her business and opened and closed a series of pop-up stores. Beyond Buzz and Growl, she wants to launch a permanent Yellowcake shop in Ohio City or Detroit Shoreway by Fall of 2012.


Source: Valerie Mayen
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Dwellworks, a company that provides a suite of services for the relocation, real estate and mortgage lending industries, has announced plans to relocate its own corporate headquarters to the historic F. W. Woolworth building in PlayhouseSquare.

"We fell in love with PlayhouseSquare and wanted to be a part of the revitalization of downtown," says Gene Novak, CFO and Executive VP of Dwellworks. "It's hard to say enough about the reception and welcome we received from PlayhouseSquare, the City of Cleveland and Downtown Cleveland Alliance."

That reception included a financial incentives package from the City of Cleveland and a presentation from Downtown Cleveland Alliance to the entire Dwellworks staff about the benefits and logistics of moving downtown. Dwellworks secured a forgivable loan through the Vacant Property Initiative Program and a grant based on new job creation through the Citywide Business Grant Program.

PlayhouseSquare Real Estate Services also obtained federal and state historic tax credits that lowered the cost of renovating the office space by one-third.

Dwellworks plans to move its staff of 30 to 40 employees downtown initially. Its appraisal services department will stay in Warrensville Heights for the remaining two years on its lease. Yet Novak says that the firm is already studying plans for a Phase II that would centralize its operations in the heart of downtown Cleveland.


Source: Gene Novak
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Since the Capitol Theatre at W. 65th and Detroit reopened in 2008 as a state-of-the-art, three-screen movie house, it has incrementally grown its audience by hosting special events and screening must-see indie films. Yet this week, the hottest attraction at this restored vaudeville theatre will be its striking new blade sign.

This Thursday, a holiday-themed lighting ceremony will celebrate this iconic piece of street art. The "Bright Night" event begins at 6:15 p.m. with the lighting of the sign. A street party will follow. The area's unique indie retailers and restaurants also will be open for the occasion.

"The new sign is a near exact replica of the original blade sign that was installed at the theatre in 1921," says Marilyn Mosinski, Director of Economic Development with the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO), the group which has spearheaded the $50,000 project over the past three years.

Needless to say, after such a long wait Mosinsky and her cohorts are ready to celebrate. Adding to the festivities is a trio of pop-up shops that are opening for the season this week in the Gordon Square Arts District. In recent years, the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood has become known for its one-of-a-kind holiday shopping options.

Valerie Mayen of Yellowcake is setting up a temporary apparel shop at the corner of W. 65th and Detroit. The Gordon Square Holiday Market is also set to open in the Near West Lofts Building at W. 67th and Detroit.
 
Finally, a new gallery called Double Feature is also popping up in the district. Located in a two-room space on W. 65th next to the Capitol, it will host artwork, a unique shop and an array of events throughout the season.

Bright Night is a part of Yuletide on the Near West Side, a series of holiday events in the Detroit Shoreway, Ohio City and Tremont neighborhoods.


Sources: Genna Petrolla, Marilyn Mosinski
Writer: Lee Chilcote