For 40 years, the nonprofit One World Shop has partnered with organizations around the globe to give artisans a chance to sell their creations­—at fair trade wages—to Northeast Ohio residents. This week, One World will take its fair trade mission to another level by showcasing more than 300 hand-knotted rugs made by Pakistani artisans at its Fair Trade Rug Event.

While little remains of the original League Park, it ranks among America's top neighborhood baseball parks, and the memories of the iconic Cleveland landmark are still vivid in many people’s minds. Now those memories are coming back to life with a brand-new scale model and revitalization efforts for the surrounding neighborhood of Hough.

Shel Myeroff spent the better part of his professional life helping executives find their perfect jobs. He founded Solon-based Direct Recruiters in the late 1970s and spent 35 years growing the company. But at the end of the day, Myeroff would go home and unwind by making furniture in his basement.

Carina Grenier opened Sipt in February to give customers a healthy, fresh option for fueling up in Beachwood's fitness plaza.

Cleveland and Pittsburgh may have a legendary rivalry when it comes to football, but Matt McMonagle and his wife, Lisa, are taking that rivalry to the condiment arena. As supporters of locally-owned businesses, Matt and Lisa noticed that everyone in Cleveland was serving Pittsburgh-based Heinz ketchup. “We saw a lot of [local] mustard, hot sauces, and barbeque sauces," says Matt. "But why are we buying ketchup from a Pittsburgh company?” 

Anyone who set foot in the Beachland Ballroom last Saturday might have thought the rumors of print media's demise have been greatly exaggerated. At the sold-out Concert for Truth, more than 450 people gathered to show their support for local journalism and those who bring us the news every day. The event featured 11 local musicians who volunteered their time and talents to raise about $5,000 for the 24 Plain Dealer employees who are being laid off after March.

Raffaele Di Lallo may work as a chemical engineer for a top specialty chemicals and coatings company, but his true passion is caring for tropical houseplants and sharing his knowledge. So, two years ago, the Clevelander starred Ohio Tropics—a daily blog focused on teaching readers how to grow and nurture their houseplants.

As Sean L. Ward sees it, there will come a day where East Cleveland is mentioned in the same breath with Tremont and Waterloo as thriving, vibrant neighborhoods. And though he knows revitalization won’t happen overnight, he believes that the burgeoning East Cleveland Growth Association can help usher in much-needed change—and that the city is perfectly positioned for it.
 

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is known by all for his work in the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s through nonviolence and civil disobedience. Many people in Cleveland, however, may not be aware of how often King came through Cleveland in the 1960s—and the lasting influence he had on the city. From civil rights and Christianity to politics and school sit-ins, King was a well-known presence in Cleveland.

Like any good entrepreneur, Larry Bonton knows he must explore the concept a bit further when an idea hits. Earlier this year, he joined forces with six other creative entrepreneurs and associates to found Dream Creative Complex (DCC)—geared at helping other creative types fulfill their goals through community, collaboration, and connection.

At 60 years old, Rose has big dreams, but knows the first step towards any of her myriad goals is to get her GED. One of 22 siblings, she dropped out of high school many moons ago when she became pregnant. Raising four boys has understandably dominated the entirety of her life to date, but this summer, on a routine walk to the store in her Mt. Pleasant neighborhood, she looked in the window of Seeds of Literacy and spotted site coordinator Kara Krawiec.

“I could see her bouncing around, and I knew I had to go in to see what was going on in here,” recalls Rose. “I’ve been coming four times a week ever since.”

LaunchHouse has come a long way since 2008 when founders Todd Goldstein and Dar Caldwell first started working with entrepreneurs in a small office above Geraci’s Pizza in University Heights and eventually opened in an old Shaker Heights car dealership with about a dozen portfolio companies and a handful of members. Today, LaunchHouse is one of Cleveland's premier coworking communities—with two locations and a brand-new licensing model that will see it expand to as many as six more locations by end of 2019. The first licensee? CoWork Oberlin.

Lauren Calig was inspired when she attended the "Facing History Together" Common Ground conversation in June, geared at restoring trust and civility in public discourse. But it didn't stop there—Calig, Laurel School's director of multicultural curriculum, decided to institute a series of ongoing lunchtime Common Ground conversations for middle and upper school students at Laurel. 

It takes a lot of room to pull off projects like a 14-story mural and an entire marketing campaign, ­not to mention countless video, digital, and computer-generated imagery (CGI) projects—so the growing TRG Multimedia recently leased 75,000 square feet on the former American Greetings campus in Brooklyn.
 

With dozens of yoga studios throughout the Cleveland area, it's not hard to find your flow. Just ask Dawn Rivers of Daybreak Yoga, Melissa Klimo Major of Balance & Brews, and Anjua Maximo of GrooveRyde—all of whom own successful yoga businesses that are truly hitting their stride with new locations and ventures.

Just over a month after opening its new 855,000-square-foot North Randall fulfillment facility, Amazon is already making its presence known around the Greater Cleveland area—with officials demonstrating how happy they are to be here and their desire to be a good neighbor.