As the number of local bike commuters continues to increase, so too does the number of savvy entrepreneurs who serve and service them. In recent years, a mini boom of bike-based businesses has developed across Northeast Ohio, including frame builders, messenger bag makers, rickshaw drivers and an indoor bike park that attracts visitors from throughout the Midwest.

The newly minted nonprofit Bike Cleveland will bring together Northeast Ohio cyclists through cycling events, educational programming and advocacy work, says Jacob Van Sickle, the group's new Executive Director. The group also will provide area cyclists with a unified voice in transportation planning across the region.

Over the course of the next year, Bike Cleveland plans to focus on prioritizing bike investments in the West Shoreway project, collaborating with the C... Read more >

Local writer, speaker and entrepreneur Craig James has some big ideas. In fact, he is a regular contributor to NEOtropolis's "What’s the Big Idea" segment on PBS. He and his partner Sue James formed CatalystStrategies, which helps organizations best communicate their message, market and meaning. In this "Letter to Cleveland," James pens an open letter to the city he loves.

There is a surprisingly rich community of accomplished authors living in Cleveland. In fact, if you take a stroll through Cleveland Heights -- and other artsy neighbs -- you might even bump into one of them. Fresh Water recently bumped into three of them: Dan Chaon, Mary Doria Russell and Thrity Umrigar.

Adam and Susan Fleischer of the Wine Spot in Cleveland Heights have opened a boutique wine and craft beer store at a time when many big box retailers are vying for this same business. Yet, spend a few minutes with them and you'll realize that their infectious enthusiasm and love of wine is also backed up by creativity and a solid business plan.

Adam Fleischer first developed the store concept as a way to ditch his fast-paced corporate lifestyle, spend more time with h... Read more >

A few weeks ago, Cleveland Heights City Council passed legislation that allows residents to purchase city-owned residential lots for as little as $100. With this move, the inner ring suburb became the latest city in Northeast Ohio to encourage "blotting," the practice of homeowners absorbing adjacent lots for yard expansion, urban gardening or beautification.

Like many inner ring suburbs, Cleveland Heights has been hard hit by foreclosure and vacancy in recent y... Read more >

Liz Maugins of Zygote Press remembers the moment in 2008 when she realized just how fragile her own organization's existence was in Cleveland's ever-shrinking nonprofit ecosystem. Like many nonprofit groups, she was looking at fewer philanthropic dollars during the worst recession in decades. Meanwhile, many foundations were stressing collaboration or proposing outright mergers.

"Like a lot of nonprofit leaders, I was freaking out and wondering what would com... Read more >

Inefficient, drafty homes in Cleveland not only are an impediment to attracting savvy urban homebuyers, they're also a harsh economic reality for those who must swallow high utility bills. Despite the daunting prospect of renovating an old home, there are simple, cost-effective ways to save energy -- and money -- that don't involve notching the thermostat down another degree or donning Eskimo-like clothing.

That's the impetus behind Cleveland Energy $aver, a n... Read more >

It’s not exactly a news flash that tattoos have become decidedly more mainstream. Long the province of drug-addled rock stars, ex-cons and bikers, tats now can be spotted on even the most civilized among us. And as the tattoo market continues to heat up, more talented artists are finding work in Cleveland's new tattoo studios.

If you fancy yourself a fan of Cleveland and its offerings, you have doubtless been asked for a recommendation or three. Having lived and worked in town for 20 years, Nina McCollum considers herself an unofficial tour guide, dispensing advice on everything from food and shopping to arts and entertainment. In preparation for a visit from an out-of-town friend, McCollum has devised her dream weekend in Cleveland.

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... Read more >

While we pride ourselves here at Fresh Water in having crisp, professional prose, the truth is, without art, a feature is just font on a page. Pictures tell a thousand words, we're told, but the best ones simply leave us speechless. Every masthead and feature image since we launched this pub over a year ago has been shot by Fresh Water shooter Bob Perkoski. Here is a collection of some of his finest work.

When Fresh Water launched in September 2010, we promised to highlight Cleveland's most progressive and creative people, businesses and organizations. But more importantly, we endeavored to place those subjects against the most compelling backdrop of all: Cleveland and its wonderful neighborhoods. Each Thursday, our readers are invited to dig a little deeper into this city we call home. What follows is a list of the 10 most-read features of the previous 12 months. Looking ... Read more >

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 ... Read more >