From 107 applicants to the lucky final seven, the second installment of Cleveland Chain Reaction has reached its exciting conclusion. This morning at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Fox 8’s Kenny Crumpton announced the seven winning businesses chosen to receive over $700,000 in investment (more than $200,000 over the initial commitment). The announcement also foreshadows the next wave of economic development in Old Brooklyn, this year’s Chain Reaction neighborhood.

Meet the new wave of makerspaces, where communal workshops for tinkerers of all backgrounds foster ideas and turn dream projects into reality. While the usual suspects of California and New York lead the way, Ohio is no slouch—hosting the world’s largest makerspace in Columbus, as well as a growing ecosystem right here in Cleveland championing innovation and entrepreneurship. 

It’s only been one week since Linda McFadden opened Lee Road Dog Grooming, but she has already built a customer base and potential customers are stopping in. After all, it’s hard to miss the hand-painted pictures of a ladylike pup donning a flowered hat and the pink and purple hues that adorn the small storefront on one of the newest additions to the Cedar-Lee District.

Ten years from now, employment industry experts estimate that 50 percent of Millennials will be earning their livings as freelancers. That's no surprise to Impel Creative founders Stacie Ross and Doug Crouch—who've been helping to set the trend by hiring freelancers for the past 10 years.

After four years of planning, Western Reserve Distillers is set to take its spot as one of just a handful of certified organic distilleries in the country. The family-owned business—run by husband-and-wife team Ann and Kevin Thomas—celebrated its grand opening in early September.

Move over, traditional antiques dealers and auction houses—there’s a new kid on the block. Veteran antique dealer Ronald Greenwald and Aspire Auctions co-founder Cynthia Maciejewski have joined forces to open Neue Auctions, a one-stop online auction house and art gallery geared at Millennials and women.

Barbershops offer much more than traditional haircuts in Old Brooklyn—where barber chairs double as school desks, as psychologists’ couches, as job counselor offices, and as safe spaces. 

Lakewood may be a huge hub for the “shop small” movement, but the personalities of the city’s emergent local businesses are anything but small. This summer, the city has welcomed two niche stores: Coven and Cleveland Curiosities. Catering to those with interests that may be off the beaten path, Coven focuses on all things witchy, while Cleveland Curiosities is packed with oddities that can’t be found anywhere else.

For Euclid residents, Lake Erie has always been something of a shimmering mirage: a beautiful resource always within sight, but perpetually just out of reach. After all, Euclid—one of six lakefront communities in Cuyahoga County—has four miles of shoreline, but 94 percent of that number is privately held by homeowners.

However, that elusive status is about to change after the Euclid City Council’s vote to move forward with Phase II of its Waterfront Improvement Plan.

Cleveland's small business community is buzzing with the opening of Beauty Shoppe, a 24-hour coworking and office space designed to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses, and the accompanying Foyer coffee shop. Both entities are located in the burgeoning Seymour Building, which was originally constructed in 1876 and now springing back to life via the Snavely Group.

Now that Old Brooklyn has been chosen as the site for the second iteration of Cleveland Chain Reaction, who are the businesses that will set up shop on its streets? This week’s Business Pitch Showcase took Chain Reaction hopefuls one giant step closer to answering that question. With the field narrowed down from 107 initial applicants, the remaining 18 semi-finalists took center stage at COSE’s downtown headquarters to give their “Shark Tank”-style pitches for why they should be one of five businesses chosen to receive at least $100,000 of investment.

A Lyndhurst native and St. Ignatius alum, Kevin Wojton left the Cleveland area for a technology career in New York and Hong Kong. But his true love is rock climbing, having even becoming a sponsored athlete in the sport—and his mission is to spread that love by bringing the ultimate rock climbing experience to Cleveland.

Northeast Ohio’s largest temporary art event will celebrate its fifth year this weekend in Slavic Village. Led by curators Dana Depew, Scott Pickering, and the Visit Arts Collective, Rooms to Let will transform a trio of properties slated for demolition into interactive public art installations—with the intention of lovingly honoring the condemned homes in a creative way before they’re leveled.

At the intersection of Eastern and Western medicine is where Chelsea Sposit finds herself today—but it’s been a long, difficult road getting there. Last October, Sposit suffered an injury to her right eye that impacted her vision and forced the closing of her business, Lotus Layer Medical Spa. With support from her family, friends, and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Sposit picked herself up with a new business plan and applied to the inaugural Healthcare Innovation Bootcamp (held jointly by MIT and Harvard). Sposit is one of just 70 people selected from thousands of applicants worldwide and will travel to Cambridge, MA, in mid-August to study in a program that is the first of its kind.

It's Young Professionals Week here in Cleveland, and what better time than to highlight rising stars who are helping to put Cleveland on the map? Introducing FreshWater's first-ever #Fresh10, a group of talented professionals under 34 years old all making their mark on The Land—and beyond. Find out who made the list here.

A new generation of farmers is taking shape, both in Cleveland and around the country. According to the latest Census of Agriculture, the number of farmers under 35 years old is increasing for only the second time in the last century. Meet four young Clevelanders who are venturing outside the city limits to pursue new agricultural adventures: Carl Harp Nursery, Bellwether Farm, and Frayed Knot Farm.

Even through the popular retailer has stores in more than 85 cities nationwide, West Elm's arrival in Cleveland has a local spin. In addition to its selection of home goods and decor, the 11,000 square feet store carries a selection of goods from eight Ohio makers—five of which are based in the Cleveland area—and boasts a décor that gives a nod to Cleveland’s manufacturing history.