Stories

Three tips: local organic lawn man on growing truly green grass
Inspired by what he learned in high school biology class about the dangers of chemicals and fertilizers used to make lawns weed-free and green, Alec McClennan founded Good Nature Organic Lawn Care in 1999 after earning his engineering degree.
 
With just a handful of customers and hid Subaru hatchback, McClennan set out to educate Clevelanders about the health and environmental factors associated with chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and prove there was a better, natural way to grow lush, healthy lawns.

Today, McClennan has 35 employees, 18 trucks and serves thousands of customers in Cleveland, Akron and Columbus neighborhoods.

With success like that, you'll want to listen to his advice on how you can improve your yard organically by reading the rest of the article.
Business — not usual: All Culinary Services
A new food truck concept is rolling through Cleveland this summer, one that emphasizes lickety-split service, child-friendly meals, and locally sourced favorites while a single proprietor keeps watch.
 
That man is Jason Lawenda, who recently launched his Food Buggy retro concession trailer as part of All Culinary Services, a small events catering company. The buggy — an Airstream trailer that resembles an oversized sleep pod from a science fiction movie — transports fare prepared by local food artisans as well as the owner.

Read what he's dishing up and where you can find it here.
Nationally touring 'This is Hunger' illuminates a quiet crisis
'This is Hunger," an interactive community engagement program housed in a big rig that's touring nationwide, will stop in Beachwood next month.
PHOTOS: the fun, festivities and colors of the Cleveland Asian Festival
To preview the much-anticipated 8th annual event this weekend, Fresh Water managing photographer Bob Perkoski offers up a host of dazzling images from previous festivals.
The Dealership partners with ECDI, expands a unique local resource
The Economic and Community Development Institute has teamed up with The Dealership to offer an array of programming, co-working and financial services to area businesses and the Shaker Heights community at large.
 
Over The River: loads of LEGOs, a run through the Zoo, an AHA! moment ...
Welcome to the inaugural edition of "Over The River," a monthly calendar of exciting activities taking place throughout the area. Have a fun event you want to share with your fellow Clevelanders? Send us your freshest happenings.

Click here for our May listing, which is full up with a confluence of art and poetry, live mural painting and even a Frog Bride.
Tiny vacant lot transformed into unique property
Early last year, a 35-foot by 95-foot plot of land at 1427 Scenic St. in Lakewood sat uncared for with a shaky past.

The Cuyahoga County Land Bank had razed the abandoned house, the adjacent neighbors had no interest in the land and the non-profit community organization LakewoodAlive was desperately searching for someone to plant some love on the property.

Find out what happened to the pint-sized property here.
Five things you don't know about ... Larchmere Porchfest
The ninth annual Larchmere PorchFest is ready to rock the Larchmere neighborhood of Cleveland on June 17, featuring 30 bands playing from 30 porches for a night of sweet tunes and community togethernessThe full line-up of artists will be revealed at a May 18 fundraising event at The Grog Shop, with proceeds ensuring that the popular concert remains free and open to the public.

As the musically-inclined summer kickoff approaches, Fresh Water drops some 411 about the uniquely presented soiree you may not know.

Get the five fun facts here.
'Cardinal Nest' nurtures students from Euclid to Warrensville Heights and beyond
When Carly Hill attended East Cleveland’s Shaw High School, she was accustomed to being one of the star pupils — earning good grades, participating in mock trials in preparation for her planned law career and she was often chosen for special projects.
 
Hills describes her experience at Shaw being a part of a small group of students intensely interested in learning. In fact, she earned all As, except for her first and only B in 11th grade.
 
“Imagine being in a class of 20 students,” Hill says. “In most of my classes, there was a small group of students interested in learning among a disruptive group, and as a result, we were always the only ones picked for special projects. Then those five well-behaved students were placed in AP and honors classes. That group of students aren't necessarily there because they know more, it's merely because they are not disruptive.”
 
Carly HillSo when Hill graduated in 2010 as valedictorian and headed off to Howard University on a scholarship, she expected life to be the same at the prestigious college. But things were different from the moment she stepped onto the Washington, D.C. campus.
 
“Shaw High School is 99.9 percent African American and Howard also is an historically black college, and I thought I knew what it was like to be black,” Hill recalls. “But I was around a completely different group of people. It was culture shock.”
 
No longer was Hill among a select group of serious straight A students. She was among the country’s best and brightest. “I expected it to be a little different, but not as different, and I knew it was a good college” she recalls. “It was a real culture shock to realize they don’t know me and I had to prove myself. At Shaw it was not as hard to separate yourself. At Howard, everyone is that kid, everyone is the best.”
 
By the time she got to Howard, Hill had decided to major in biology instead of law. But she was not prepared for the required chemistry minor and received a D in the class. Hill lost both her scholarship and her self-confidence. After her first semester, she briefly dropped out of Howard.
 
“I lost hope,” Hill says.

Read the rest of the story to find out how she regained it.
Fresh Water breaks ground, takes it to street level
The Fresh Water news team launches two new sections this week.
Q & A: Frank Samsel
The founder of Samsel Supply in the Flats chats about his days as a pioneer in the effort to clean up the Cuyahoga River.
PHOTOS: inside the grand and historic Standard Building
Courtesy of a Cleveland Restoration Society SNOOP tour, Fresh Water offers up this preview of the breathtaking Standard Building, which Weston, Inc. is renovating and converting into residential units. 
Business — not usual: OY-L 'beauty without secrets'
Before launching her OY-L skincare business,  Andrea Pierce-Naymon learned all she could about what ingredients went into the cosmetics women use daily. What she discovered was disturbing to say the least.
 
Many of the products Pierce-Naymon and millions of other women use contain synthetic preservatives called parabens, typically found in foods as well as personal care items such as deodorants, moisturizers and shampoos. Parabens mimic estrogen and disrupt the body's hormone system, which has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer and reproductive problems.  

Find out what she did about it here.
Update: iconic water tower retakes rightful place atop Lofts at Lion Mills
In its heyday, Lion Knitting Mills established a reputation for making wool military goods, and later sweaters for the consumer market.

The 1919 factory at 3256 W. 25th St. in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood sat vacant after Lion Knitting Mills closed its doors in 1990, until the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO) bought the 52,000-square-foot building and began converting it into affordable loft-style apartments in 2016.

Get the whole story here.
Just for fun: Forest City Shuffleboard Arena and Bar
Shuffleboard is sliding its way into Cleveland later this month with a side order of food, drink and puck-flinging good times.

Forest City Shuffleboard Arena & Bar, the mindchild of owner Jim Miketo and his wife, Kari, is scheduled to open May 18 at 4506 Lorain Avenue in Ohio City, the former site of the Supermercado Rico grocery. As part of its 7,500 square feet of fun, Forest City Shuffle presents seven regulation shuffleboard courts and two 22-foot-long shuffleboard tables. Game-playing patrons can enjoy a selection of local and regional beers along with a rotating cast of pop-up food providers such as Half Moon Bakery.
 
Cleveland's nightlife scene boasts the occasional shuffleboard table or small court, says Miketo, but there's nothing in the area like what he has to offer.
 
Get the rest of the story here.
PHOTOS: art blooms at NewBridge spring exhibition
This Friday, the NewBridge Cleveland Center for Arts and Technology, which aims to give at-risk Cleveland youth a fresh and different outlook on education and life. will host its Spring Session Art Exhibition. Fresh Water managing photographer Bob Perkoski previews the festivities here.
Five things you don't know about ... Citizen Pie
Hop onto any social thread discussing Cleveland's best pizza and you're likely to see Battery Park's CHA on the list. Scotti's Italian Eatery on East 185th surely has it's fans. Others swear by Crust.

But the one place you're sure to find, the one that's been white-hot since opening its doors a little more than a year ago on Waterloo Road in Collinwood, is Citizen Pie, wherein locals cannot get enough of the authentic Neapolitan pizzas served up in the tiny 875-square-foot space that sits opposite the Beachland Ballroom.
 
Now as construction rumbles on at Citizen's second location in Ohio City, we thought we'd uncover a few fast facts about this unique Cleveland biz that you may not know.

Discover them here.
Motorcycle dreams part three: leather heaven
In this last installment of a series that takes a closer look at motorcycle dreams, Cleveland style, we meet Chuck Perez, whose handcrafted CLE-made leather goods garner national attention — call that the real deal.
First person: piecing together a singular Cleveland story
Two mysterious jigsaw puzzles led Fresh Water editor Erin O'Brien down a curious path that ultimately concluded right back in the 216.