mary manno sweeney
Mary Manno Sweeney is a writer, music enthusiast and social media strategist. Her work has appeared in Cleveland Scene, cleveland.com,Cleveland Magazine, The Journal of Communication and in her restaurant/food culture blog, Amalgamato. She is a graduate of Cleveland State University, where she studied mass communication. In addition to writing, Mary‘s professional experience includes media planning (KCH Design, Limited), television market research (WJW- TV8) and publicity (Cleveland Ballet). A native of Agrigento, Sicily, Mary is bi-lingual, cross-cultural and multinational. Mary and her family reside in West Park and dream of Italy.
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Vita Urbana, a multi-service convenience store, is scheduled to open in mid-January in the Shoreway Building, 1260 West 76th St., overlooking Edgewater Park.
Designed with a sense of community, the compact, 4,000 square-foot space will pack a host of services for residents of the Shoreway Building and the entire Battery Park neighborhood.
“Vita Urbana will combine the convenience of a coffee shop, an artisanal grocery store, and a full service bar bistro,” says entrepreneur Mike Graley, a 35-year veteran of the grocery business.
A native west sider, Graley opened his first venture -- the wine bar, YOLO (now Cha Spirits & Pizza Kitchen) – right next door in the Battery Park Powerhouse.
In addition to his own operations, Graley’s been a wine buyer at the Rocky River Heinen’s for 25 years. Graley got his start at A&P and then worked for Rego’s in his early days. These experiences, along with an opportunity to travel abroad, have led him to Vita Urbana.
The coffee shop will rely on local roasters to produce a specially brewed, house-blended dark roast, along with assorted flavored coffees. Graley is also planning a simple breakfast menu with added emphasis on fast, friendly service.
The artisan grocery store will offer a variety of necessities while emphasizing quality and uniqueness; a place cooks will want to shop.
The full-bar bistro will specialize in an array of gourmet selections that will showcase many of the exquisite products sold in the store. The bar will provide a variety of wine, beer and specialty cocktails.
Vita Urbana brings convenience to the center of the Gordon Square neighborhood. It will be open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
Graley will hire 10 to 15 people to staff Vita Urbana and envisions opening two additional locations in other Cleveland neighborhoods over the next two years.
Designed with a sense of community, the compact, 4,000 square-foot space will pack a host of services for residents of the Shoreway Building and the entire Battery Park neighborhood.
“Vita Urbana will combine the convenience of a coffee shop, an artisanal grocery store, and a full service bar bistro,” says entrepreneur Mike Graley, a 35-year veteran of the grocery business.
A native west sider, Graley opened his first venture -- the wine bar, YOLO (now Cha Spirits & Pizza Kitchen) – right next door in the Battery Park Powerhouse.
In addition to his own operations, Graley’s been a wine buyer at the Rocky River Heinen’s for 25 years. Graley got his start at A&P and then worked for Rego’s in his early days. These experiences, along with an opportunity to travel abroad, have led him to Vita Urbana.
The coffee shop will rely on local roasters to produce a specially brewed, house-blended dark roast, along with assorted flavored coffees. Graley is also planning a simple breakfast menu with added emphasis on fast, friendly service.
The artisan grocery store will offer a variety of necessities while emphasizing quality and uniqueness; a place cooks will want to shop.
The full-bar bistro will specialize in an array of gourmet selections that will showcase many of the exquisite products sold in the store. The bar will provide a variety of wine, beer and specialty cocktails.
Vita Urbana brings convenience to the center of the Gordon Square neighborhood. It will be open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
Graley will hire 10 to 15 people to staff Vita Urbana and envisions opening two additional locations in other Cleveland neighborhoods over the next two years.
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